The National Logistic Portal (marine), or NLP, was recently launched by the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal. This one-stop platform is aimed at improving the efficiency and transparency of the logistics sector by leveraging information technology to connect all stakeholders. The platform covers all trade processes in the logistics sector as well as modes of transport on waterways, roadways, and airways.
Purpose of the Portal
The NLP is a project of national importance as envisaged by the Ministry of Ports Shipping Waterways and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The aim of the portal is to achieve faster, easier, and more competitive offerings of services that will promote the growth of the logistics sector and improve overall trade. The portal will be a single window for all trade processes of the logistics sector spread across the country, covering all modes of transport in the waterways, roadways, and airways.
Benefits of the Portal
The NLP is an open platform that allows the coexistence of multiple service providers to provide EXIM-related services independently or by combining different connectivity options. The portal aims to reduce regulatory complexities and enhance the ease of doing business by moving towards user-friendly paperless trade. The activities of NLP Marine are categorized into four distinct verticals – Carrier, Cargo, Banking and Finance, and Regulatory Bodies and Participating Government Agencies (PGAs). This will enrich the user experience through end-to-end tracking of the shipment with notifications at each stage, seamless exchange of documents, and the ability to securely transact with transparency and speed.
Latch On Feature
The NLP Marine experience is enhanced further with the ‘Latch On Feature’, which facilitates the trade by providing the required features that are not directly embedded into NLP Marine by linking through systems developed by other agencies seamlessly without duplication of efforts. It is envisaged that many standalone applications, developed by multiple vendors, users, and other stakeholders, will integrate with NLP Marine through appropriate curation. The portal also enables digital transactions for payments required for the clearance processes such as Port charges, CFS charges, shipping line charges and transportation charges.
