“India’s waterways rediscovered: Charting a new course for Viksit Bharat”, Business Standard, October 17, 2025
“Once, India’s rivers were not just sacred but sensible modes of transportation — when goods floated from Patna or Dibrugarh to Kolkata long before trucks ruled the tarmac roads. The rivers of India were the first highways, their currents moving grain, salt, and stories. In time, as steel rails and asphalt roads replaced them, the rivers turned into mere promises.
Today, thanks to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), India’s rivers are being rediscovered, reimagined, and rejuvenated — this time, with institutional funding made possible by an outcome-driven and well-intentioned government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India has over 14,500 km of navigable waterways, and 111 are declared national waterways, as against mere five until 2014……”
Read full article at business-standard.com
