Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said there is a need to reduce logistics costs in the country, which is higher than that of China, the US and European countries.

The idea is to make waterways a popular mode of transport for passengers and goods as this will help in bringing down the import cost of petrol and diesel, which is around Rs 16 lakh crore for the country annually, he said. “Our first priority is waterways, second railways, third road and lastly aviation. Bringing down logistics costs will help in generating employment in the country,” he said at a programme organised in Kolkata.