NEW DELHI : Calling for a healthy flow of investments into the logistics sector in India, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was at the 8th NITI Aayog Governing Council session in Delhi, said that high logistics costs are hampering India’s growth and curtailing the competitiveness of its products globally.

Underlining the share of logistics in India’s GDP, which stands at a high 14 per cent compared to 7.5 per cent in the United States, Reddy emphasised the crucial nature of the sector and the costs involved.

He sought continuing investments as seen in the past nine years to ensure rapid economic progress of the country.

The Chief Minister submitted a note to the Governing Council showcasing the steps taken by Andhra Pradesh to strengthen sectors such as logistics, public health, skill development and social and economic empowerment of women, said a press note shared by the State Government.

“Laying emphasis on port-based development, we are establishing four greenfield ports and 10 fishing harbours, besides developing the Orvakal Airport in Kurnool and striving to develop an international airport in Visakhapatnam through PPP mode,” he told the session.

According to the CM, the State stood on top in ease of doing business for the past three years, including repealing several obsolete legal provisions to reduce compliance burden, which led to investment pledges of Rs 13 lakh crore during the Global Investors Summit in Vizag.