Kumar Ramnikant highlights Unified Logistics Interface Platform as key to digital transformation

DIMAPUR — A state-level workshop on the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) was conducted in Kohima on Wednesday by the Directorate of Industries and Commerce in collaboration with the National Logistics Data Services Limited (NLDSL).

According to a DIPR report, Secretary of Industries and Commerce, Kumar Ramnikant, in his inaugural address, stressed the importance of collaboration and digital transformation in public service delivery.

He said that ULIP was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the PM Gati Shakti initiative. While highlighting the challenges that producers and manufacturers in Nagaland face due to geographical and logistic difficulty, he said that utilisation of ULIP and other IT and AI tools will help to improve efficiency and reach wider markets, both locally and internationally.

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He stated that this platform will provide better market access for local produce, including Naga organic farm products, handloom, and handicrafts, enabling farmers and entrepreneurs to connect with markets directly without the involvement of any middleman.

Ramnikant mentioned that the Act East Policy, along with the construction of the East Asia Highway connecting India to Myanmar and other nations, presents significant opportunities for the North East Region, particularly for Nagaland. Through ULIP, local farmers will gain access to international markets, enabling them to directly supply produce to neighbouring countries like Myanmar.

He urged all the participants to actively engage in the workshop and encouraged the startups to shoulder the responsibility of driving innovation and progress, complementing the efforts of the state.

The inaugural session began with a welcome address by the Director of Industries and Commerce, P Tokugha Sema, who stated that Nagaland is the first state in the Northeast region to integrate ULIP.

He said that for Nagaland, ULIP will help improve infrastructure utilisation, promote inter-departmental coordination, deliver data-driven governance, reduce supply chain insufficiencies and elevate ease of doing business in the state. He also mentioned that transparency and real-time data sharing through ULIP will reduce costs and delays in transport, which will particularly benefit the transport of perishable goods from Nagaland, provide relief during natural calamities and help Nagaland grow its manufacturing sector.

Chief Operating Officer of NLDSL, Arvind Devaraj, presented a brief introduction on ULIP. He said that ULIP is being implemented by NICDC Logistics Data Services Ltd. (NLDSL), a joint venture between the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) and Japan’s NEC Corporation, established in December 2015, with an aim to bring transparency, remove bottlenecks, and empower end-users by integrating existing data sources of various ministries.

During the technical session, a presentation on ULIP was given by Devaraj and programme managers of NLDSL, Vaibhav Singh and Ashutosh Shekhar. The event concluded with the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NLDSL and the Government of Nagaland.