Representative image The Food Corporation of India (FCI) along with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) inaugurated a cargo vessel that was carrying about 200 tonnes of rice from Patna to Guwahati on Saturday, Financial Express reports.
This is the first time that an initiative has been brought about to transport foodgrains to the north-eastern states via the riverine route.
The vessel will take around 25 days to cover a distance of 2350 kilometers and subsequently transport the 3700 double gunny packs of rice.
The rice will be unloaded at the Pandu port and will then be taken to the depot of the FCI at Changsari in the Kamrup district of Assam.
The vessel will be moving on major rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra. It will also sail on international waters via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route.
Senior Union Cabinet Minister Piyush Goyal explained that the use of riverine transportation will give a further boost to the economic activities and lay out an alternative to the otherwise conventional mode of transport of foodgrains to the north-eastern region.
The FCI has also kicked off the bulk movement of foodgrains via specialised wagon and container movement in addition to the coastal and riverine transportation.
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