New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- India is stepping up its inland waterways push after cargo traffic surged nearly eightfold in just over a decade. The government now plans to develop more than a dozen new national waterways (NWs) over the next five to 10 years, with investments of over Rs.10,000 crore, two people aware of the matter said. The next leg will also focus on turning these waterways into commercially-viable corridors.

The push aims to expand India's operational waterways network and achieve the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 target of having more than 50 national waterways capable of handling cargo and passenger traffic well ahead of schedule.

The government has also identified 19 more waterways, primarily for cruise tourism and passen...