Parliament Question: Freight movement in the country

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1367 ANSWERED ON - 11/02/2026 FREIGHT MOVEMENT IN THE COUNTRY 1367. SHRI P.WILSON: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has examined the issue of freight movement in the country being 355 predominantly road-led, with nearly 65 per cent of freight traffic carried by road transport, resulting in traffic congestion, modal imbalance, higher logistics costs and increased carbon intensity due to rail bottlenecks and inadequate first and last-mile connectivity; (b) whether any assessment has been undertaken regarding its impact on emissions, logistics efficiency and supply-chain competitiveness and steps taken to address the issues; and (c) whether Government has considered to promote multimodal integration, improve roadrail- coastal connectivity, strengthen driver training, safety and rest infrastructure, if so, the steps taken, State-wise? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) & (b) As per Assessment of logistics cost in India conducted in 2025 by the Government in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in collaboration with National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the total logistics cost is estimated at 7.97% of GDP. The findings align with the improvements achieved under various initiatives such as the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, National Logistics Policy, Dedicated Freight Corridors, Bharatmala-Sagarmala Pariyojana, Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) and other such initiatives towards Logistics Infrastructure Developments. (c) Government is carrying out infrastructure planning through PM GatiShakti Master Plan which is aimed to create a seamless, integrated national logistics and transport network by coordinating roads, railways, ports, airports, waterways, mass transit and logistics infrastructure, thus, enabling efficient movement of goods and people with the intent of reducing logistics costs and improving economic efficiency. Further, Multi Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) are being developed in partnership withState Governments at identified prioritized locations based on the availability of land and financial viability. As regards strengthening driver training, a scheme for setting up of Institutes of Driving Training & Research (IDTRs), Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs) and Driving Training Centres (DTCs) at State/District level across the Country is being administered. Recently, the revised scheme guidelines have been issued to the State Governments, incorporating therein enhanced financial assistance and streamlined eligibility criteria for establishing Driving Training Institutes. Additionally, incentives have been introduced for setting up Automated Testing Stations (ATS) in conjunction with Driving Training Institutes (DTIs) under the Training-Testing Cluster approach. In line with the Government’s vision of enhancing the safety and well-being of truckers, Government in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched an ambitious initiative named ‘Apna Ghar’ aimed at providing safe, clean, and affordable rest facilities for truck drivers and helpers, typically located along National Highways and near major freight corridors across the country being developed through Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) at Retail Outlets (ROs). The facilities under ‘Apna Ghar’ include parking, Restaurant / Dhaba, washrooms, fuel station, dormitory etc. Further, similar facilities are being developed for truck drivers along National Highways and Expressways as a part of Wayside Amenities, known as “Trucker Facilities”, where the layout and features of standardized facilities under 'Apna Ghar' have been largely adopted. *****