Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said India’s rapid expansion and modernisation of inland waterways — particularly in the Northeast — is transforming the region into a major logistics and energy hub, strengthening petroleum exports from Assam and unlocking new trade routes to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.

Speaking at the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025 in Guwahati today, Sonowal said inland waterways have become “the backbone of energy transportation for the Northeast,” with operational waterways rising by 767% and cargo volumes increasing by 635% in recent years.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Inland Water Transport has emerged as a reliable multimodal network, cutting logistics costs and enabling swift cargo mov

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