CM Reviews National Waterway-48 Project, Seeks Detailed Study Report

Jaipur, April 2026 : Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma chaired an important meeting on National Waterway-48 (NW-48) and directed authorities to prepare a comprehensive report to advance the project.

The Chief Minister stated that providing waterway-based transportation for industries to facilitate cargo movement and exports is among the state government’s top priorities. In this regard, he instructed officials to prepare a detailed report to operationalise the Jawai–Luni–Rann of Kutch stretch of National Waterway-48.

During the meeting held at the Chief Minister’s Office on Friday, Sharma directed the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and IIT Madras to conduct a comparative and detailed study of the project, including its technical and financial aspects. He also asked them to prepare a report estimating cargo traffic for transportation through vessels.

It may be noted that under the Chief Minister’s guidance, the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IWAI on October 27, 2025, regarding the development of NW-48. As part of this initiative, Professor K. Murali from IIT Madras delivered a detailed presentation on the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project.

The Chief Minister emphasised that once operational, National Waterway-48 will benefit not only Rajasthan but also neighbouring states by enabling smoother and more efficient cargo transportation. He said the project has the potential to become a strong foundation for the state’s overall development, boosting trade activities and significantly reducing logistics costs.

With the development of NW-48, seamless movement of goods from Rajasthan to the Arabian Sea via the Rann of Kutch will become possible. Passing through Rajasthan and Gujarat, the waterway is expected to facilitate the transport of petrochemicals, minerals, cement, chemicals, industrial goods, and various export products.

Senior officials, including Chief Secretary V. Srinivas, Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources) Abhay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (CMO) Akhil Arora, IWAI Chairman Sunil Paliwal, Principal Secretary (Finance) Vaibhav Galaria, and other departmental officers, were present at the meeting.