India still a long way from utilising its waterways trade potential

Just 2% of country's cargo transported via navigable waterways; Vietnam at 18% & China 14%

India’s trade deficit continues even as its total exports have grown 39.03 per cent in the five years between FY18 and FY22.

However, India maintains a trade surplus with its neighbouring countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – and with the seven countries that make up the Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG). This growth is driven by India's exports to these countries, which have increased by 44.4 per cent and 41.8 per cent, respectively, in the same period.
 

It is, therefore, no surprise that India has proposed to extend its waterways connectivity grid to