Logistics has been given special focus in the last few years, and many measures in terms of hard and soft infrastructure have been taken to improve the logistics scenario of India. However, an integrated view of the Indian logistics value chain is necessary and a unified system by the interconnection of the IT systems of various union ministries, state departments, governing bodies, and private service providers is required.
Additionally, for stakeholders to receive logistics-related services, visibility, authorizations, and certifications of the cargo seamlessly, all IT systems need to be interconnected. Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) is designed to enhance efficiency and reduce the cost of logistics in India by creating a transparent, one window platform that can provide real-time information to all stakeholders. It was also emphasized that the solution should have the visibility of multi-modal transport, and all the existing systems of various ministries, governing bodies, and private stakeholders should be integrated with the ULIP system.
There are three key components which are defining the ULIP platform:
ULIP shall enable start-ups and private organizations to build the presentation layer, encompassing various use-cases to serve the service, trade and logistics service providers.
India's Logistics landscape and challenges:
India incurs one of the highest logistics costs as a percentage of GDP in comparison to developed countries like the U.S. and Germany - where it is only 8 percent to 9 percent while it is 14% in India. Reduction of logistics cost to 9% can save up to 50 billion USD.
Transportation Issues
Tax Structure and Warehousing Problems
Customer Services
Driver Shortage & Retention
Port Sector Issues
Technological and Skill Deterrents
Government Regulations
The proposed Hackathon will be a competitive event where participants can get to showcase their strategic, coding and domain skills on a national-level platform to solve the above mentioned existing logistics industry issues by:
The applicants may apply by registering on the LogiXtics Challenge site. On successful registration, the applicant will receive a confirmation mail. The applicant may then login and complete the application form.
In the Ideation stage, applications will share use-cases on ULIP platforms which will help to reduce logistics cost in India. This shortlisting of applications would be done on the below parameters:
For an entity to be considered, they must fulfil the terms and conditions of the Challenge.
The use-cases should be submitted across the following categories:
Details of datasets available on the platform can be found here.
Evaluation criteria for the ideation stage can be found here.
The shortlisted applications in the idea phase will be invited to build a functioning prototype based on their shortlisted Idea. This will be a virtual event. Access to APIs from the ULIP platform will be provided by the applicants for the development of the prototype.
Based on the ideas submited in the ideation phase, applications will be shortlisted for the prototype stage. The shortlisted applications will be invited to build a functional prototype on the submitted idea. This will be a virtual event. Access to APIs from the ULIP platform will be provided by the applicants for the development of the prototype.
Applicants would have to sign NDA document to get access to APIs.
NLDS will provide the support for the development of the prototype. Details of datasets available on the platform can be found here
Evaluation criteria for the prototype stage can be found here.
In this stage, a total of 3 participants will be award with prize money.
| Task | Dates |
|---|---|
| Launch of the challenge | 16th December 2021 |
| Close of Idea Submission Stage | 25th January 2022 |
| Results of Ideation Stage | 4th February 2022 |
| Close of Prototype Stage | 25th March 2022 |
| Results of Prototype Stage | 12th April 2022 |
| Award Ceremony | 18th April 2022 |
NLDS was formed with the objective of effectively leveraging ICT across the Indian Logistics Sector, inculcate best practices across processes, and work towards bringing in efficiency in the supply chain. The company aims to bring visibility and transparency in the logistics environment through container tracking, monthly performance analytics & performance benchmarking services and assist in the Government's plan of improving the Ease of Doing Business in India. The objective is to provide the Export-Import Container visibility service pan India and comparative performance metrics for all Logistics Container Operators to enable the users to make informed decisions for bringing about greater efficiencies in their operations. The company's flagship product, "Logistics Data Bank System (LDB System)," is an overarching solution that integrates the information available with various agencies across the supply chain to provide detailed real-time information within a single window.
