USIBC launches Task Force on Supply Chain Standards and Practices

NEW DELHI (INDIA): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), on the sidelines of the India Integrated Transport & Logistics Summit 2017.nnThe discussion was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Shipping, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and senior executives of more than 50 companies that included AECOM, Adani Group, Allcargo Logistics, Caterpillar, CHEP, Coca-Cola Company, FedEx Express, Honeywell, IL&FS, Indospace, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart.nnIn his keynote address the Secretary, MoRTH Sanjay Mitra stressed upon the need for bilateral and trilateral cooperation in improving the transportation sector. He highlighted the various bilateral transportation agreements being finalized with countries such as the US, Iran, UAE, Singapore and the SAARC nations.nnHe also highlighted the various initiatives being taken by the Government in partnership with various countries to improve the transport infrastructure in the region such as development of Chabahar Port, multimodal logistics hub at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia for easy transportation of goods into the North -Eastern states and Bangladesh. He said that there was a lot of scope for collaboration with the US in areas like logistics, alternate technology for road building, use of new machinery, trucking standards, fleet modernization, safety features of vehicles, and road safety standards.nnThe USIBC Task Force on Supply Chain Standards and Practices was launched on the occasion. The Task Force is an initiative of the USIBC Transport and Logistics Committee.The Secretary, Shri Mitra welcomed the initiative saying that with the expected growth in the logistics sector post the GST era in the country, a task force on supply chain standards and practices will help the Indian industries adopt the global best practices to improve their competitiveness in the global platform.nnJoint Secretary, MoRTH Leena Nandan highlighted investment opportunities present in the country, elaborating on the various initiatives undertaken by the Ministry to improve logistics efficiency.nnIn his address, Founder and Chairman of the Mobility Infrastructure Group, Dr. Ravindra Verma said that it is timely and critical that we continue to explore the full potential of US-India collaboration in the road sector.nnChairing the USIBC Task Force on Supply Chain Standards and Practices, Mike Mullin, Senior Director, Global Government and Public Affairs, Brambles Limited, said that the task force will be used to both build understanding and identify opportunities to turn shared ideas into actions in order to deliver positive results for the people of India.nnUSIBC members are also participating in the India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit hosted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.