The government is planning to develop an eastern grid with 5,000 kilometres of navigable waterway to boost regional integration and trade with South Asia and Eastern South Asia, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.
Sonowal further said with the seamless connection between National Waterway-1(Ganga), NW-2 (Brahmaputra) and NW-16(Barak), the government is keen to create an opportunity via an economic corridor of 3,500 kilometres connecting the Northeast India with the rest of India via Bangladesh.
"The government is working extensively to develop the Eastern Grid with more than 5,000 kms of navigable waterways.
"...the development of this grid will not only boost regional integration & accelerate development but it will further deepen eastern India's trade within BBIN countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal)," he said at an event organised by industry body PHDCCI.
According to Sonowal, it will also further amplify trade potential with countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
The ports, shipping and waterways minister claimed the eastern grid can unlock multi-lateral trade potential of USD 49 billion.
