New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday release a comprehensive action plan under the national logistics policy which aims at reducing the logistics cost and generating employment, an official said.

The policy would help reduce the logistics cost from about 13 per cent of GDP to 7.5 per cent of the GDP and generate jobs in the coming years, the official said on Thursday.

Also Read | Lee Jong Suk Crush Alert! 5 Sun-kissed Pictures of the Actor That We Just Can’t Get Over!.

The policy is formulated with a vision to develop a technologically enabled, integrated, cost efficient, resilient, sustainable and trusted logistics ecosystem in the country for accelerated growth.

The main parameters of the policy would include harmonisation and standardisation, trade and transport facilitation, digitisation and skill development.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Tops Chart Among States With 70% of 13.81 Lakh Trials Pending in Fast-Track Courts.

A comprehensive action plan would include integrated digital logistics systems; standardisation of physical assets and benchmarking service quality standards, state engagement, human resource development and capacity building, export-import logistics, sectoral plans for efficient logistics, and facilitation of the development of logistics parks, the official added.

Under human resource development, the focus would be given to mainstream logistics in higher education; and the development of online training programmes.

A task force may be formed with a mandate to identify action areas.

Under export-import logistics, the focus would be on addressing infrastructure and procedural gaps; and developing institutional mechanisms for trade facilitation.

Similarly as part of service improvement framework, the policy would talk about improvement in regulatory interface to enable seamlessness between sectors.

Further the official said that empowered group of secretaries (EGoS), constituted under the PM Gati Shakti, would monitor and review the implementation of the policy.

A service improvement group would be there for resolution of user issues.

High logistics cost in India impacts both external and internal trade. The cost in India is estimated at 13-14 per cent of the gross domestic product against 9-10 per cent in the US and Europe and 11 per cent in Japan.

There is no single department which manages the sector, as it is currently being managed by many ministries including road transport, shipping, railways, civil aviation, posts and commerce and industry, and finance.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)