The government is preparing a renewed policy and incentive drive to scale up coastal shipping and inland water transport as part of a broader strategy to cut logistics costs, decongest roads and railways, and shift more freight to greener modes. Central to the plan is a proposed Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme announced in Budget 2026, which will incentivise a modal shift from rail and road to waterways with an eye on doubling the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping in India’s freight mix from about 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047.
