India’s First Gati Shakti Research Chair Established at IIM Shillong

Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, attended the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ministry and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to establish India’s first ‘Gati Shakti Research Chair’. This chair will focus on high-quality academic research on multimodal logistics with a North-East focus, aiming to build knowledge and innovation in logistical capacity building in the region. It will also collaborate with global experts and key stakeholders to support the logistical capacity of the East and North-East Region.

The Minister emphasized the importance of empowering the youth to lead development, with a focus on the Northeast region. The establishment of the Gati Shakti Chair at IIM Shillong is expected to advance research and development in multimodal logistics and provide opportunities for students to build their careers in the field. Ambitious projects like Arth Ganga and Mahabahu Brahmaputra have already shown positive economic outcomes in the region, leading to India’s ascent in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index.

The initiative of the Gati Shakti Research Chair aims to enhance collaboration between the government and academia, focusing on integrated, multi-modal logistics and supply chain resilience. It will play a crucial role in developing high-quality research, strengthening the capacity of students and MSMEs to benefit from national initiatives like the PM Gati Shakti National Masterplan. Shri Sonowal highlighted the government’s efforts in revamping the logistics sector and emphasized the vision for India to rank in the top 25 in the Logistics Performance Index in the next five years.

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