The Jal Marg Vikas Project was initially announced in the Budget Speech of July 2014 by the Finance Minister of India. This project is being implemented by the Inland Waterways Authority of India under the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is financially supported by the World Bank and is expected to be completed by 31st December 2023.

This article talks about the Jal Marg Vikas Project for the IAS exam.

Candidates should also know about the various Government schemes in India as they form an important part of the UPSC Syllabus. IAS aspirants can also download the notes PDF at the end of this article.

What is Jal Marg Vikas Project?

Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is a project for the development of National Waterways in India. JMVP was implemented as an initiative towards national integration with an aim to reduce rail and road congestion, carbon footprint and minimal resource depletion. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping is the statutory body of this project which is responsible for the development and regulation of the inland waterways. The states covered under the Jal Marg Vikas Project are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

The main objective of this project is the development of a fairway between Varanasi and Haldia with a depth of 3 meters and covering a distance of 1380 km. The estimated cost of the Jal Marg Vikas Project is 800 million US Dollars with a target of completion by December 2023.

Note: As per the news report (The Hindu), the Indian government has asked the World Bank to cancel 57.58 million US Dollars from the total loan of 375 million US Dollars. It has come after IWAI has saved some ₹1,600 crores of the total project cost of ₹5,369.18 crores by prudent financial management, quick decision making and completing the projects on time.

Goals of Jal Marg Vikas Project

The Jal Marg Vikas Project was implemented with the following goals:

1. To provide an alternate mode of transport that is environment-friendly and cost-effective.
2. To bring down the logistics cost in the country.
3. Development of Mammoth Infrastructure which includes the multi-modal and inter-modal terminals, ferry services, navigation aids and Roll on – Roll off (Ro-Ro) facilities.
4. To develop the Socio-economic condition of India for huge employment generation.

Initiatives under Jal Marg Vikas Project

The Inland Waterways Authority of India has taken several initiatives as a part of the Jal Marg Vikas Project for the development and regulation of the inland waterways. The Jal Marg Vikas Project was announced by the Finance Minister as an initiative to enable commercial navigation of at least 1500 tonnes vessels in Ganga. Some of the major steps taken by this project under the Ministry of Shipping are mentioned below:

1. To construct a multi-modal terminal at Varanasi at an estimated cost of Rs.169.59 crore
2. Construction of multi-modal terminal at the cost of Rs 517.36 crore at Haldia, West Bengal.
3. An estimated cost of Rs. 280.90 crore was awarded in October 2016 for the construction of a multi-modal terminal at Sahibganj.
4. To construct a new navigation lock at Farakka Barrage at an estimated cost of Rs 359.19 crore.
5. Development of fairway between Varanasi and Haldia with a depth of 3 meters and covering a distance of 1380 km.
6. Development of the Kolkata terminal and Patna terminal under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode by the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
7. A contract was signed on August 2016 by IWAI to design vessels that were especially suited to navigate on NW-1.
8. To set up River Information Services (RIS) on National Waterway -1.

Jal Marg Vikas Project is an important topic for the Civil Service Exam.

Candidates should keep track of the latest developments of the government schemes and project for their UPSC 2021 preparation.

Jal Marg Vikas Project (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here

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