• A high-powered meeting was held to deliberate and facilitate an eco-system for Container production under Make in India programme.
• Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya attended the meeting held in New Delhi.
• In a move to make India Atmanirbhar in its requirement for containers, the high-powered meeting deliberated various aspects in this regard.
• It was decided that with cluster base manufacturing in focus, the CONCOR will be working closely with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW).
• The meeting also discussed how the availability of Make in India containers might open up the avenue for domestic cargo transportation using the vast expanse of inland waterways of India.
• In the meeting, the ministers also discussed the possibility of moving bulk cargos like cement, food grains, fertilisers etc., through coastal and inland waterways in containerised form.
• This move will contribute to a reduction in the cost of logistics and handling charges as it will be through an economical, ecological and easier mode of transportation.
• Earlier, a committee was formed comprising of Joint Secretary (Ports), Joint Secretary (Customs), Joint Secretary (Logistics), Joint Secretary (Steel), and a representative from CONCOR and NICDC to assess the demand for containers in domestic trade, EXIM trade as well as the problem faced in the domestic manufacturing of containers.
• The MoPSW also interacted with the representatives from CONCOR, the Association of Container Train Operators (ACTO), steel manufacturing companies, container manufacturers, and the Container Shipping Line Association (CSLA).
• “In the EXIM segment, container availability and space onboard vessels are consistently improving. In the domestic segment, CONCOR has a requirement for approximately 50,000 containers in the next three years,” MoPSW said.

About the Company

• The Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR), was incorporated in March 1988 under the Companies Act, and commenced operation from November 1989 taking over the existing network of 7 ICDs from the Indian Railways.