New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the Land Port Management System (LPMS), a comprehensive digital platform designed to modernize cargo processing and passenger movement across India’s land ports. The government said the new system will significantly reduce paperwork, shorten waiting times, and improve the efficiency of border trade operations while strengthening security mechanisms.
Speaking at the launch event in New Delhi, Shah described LPMS as a modern, integrated, and real-time digital platform that will connect multiple stakeholders and data systems involved in border management. He said the initiative would become a key component of the government’s envisioned “smart security grid”, ensuring both economic and physical security at land borders.
According to the Home Minister, the system is expected to reduce paperwork by nearly 90 percent, cut waiting times for cargo trucks by 22 to 35 percent, and decrease gate processing times by 40 to 60 percent. These improvements are aimed at streamlining operations at land ports and enhancing the ease of doing business for traders engaged in cross-border commerce.
“LPMS, a modern, digital, integrated and real-time system that takes every stakeholder and data system on board, will increase synergy and information-sharing among agencies,” Shah said. He added that the platform would improve coordination between government departments while ensuring smoother cargo and passenger movement.
India currently operates 15 land ports, with plans to develop 11 additional ports over the next three years. The government expects the expansion of border infrastructure and the introduction of digital systems such as LPMS to further boost trade volumes and economic activity in border regions.
Apart from facilitating trade, Shah emphasized the broader social and economic impact of the initiative. He said LPMS would promote tourism, strengthen people-to-people contact, and encourage cultural exchanges among communities living on both sides of the border. The system is also expected to support legitimate trade activities, helping curb illegal cross-border operations and contributing to the development of border villages and districts.
The Home Minister noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs is simultaneously working on implementing the “smart border” concept, which, together with LPMS, would make India’s borders more secure and technologically advanced.
Highlighting the growth in border trade over the past decade, Shah said trade through land ports has increased from ₹5,000 crore in 2014 to ₹83,000 crore, representing a sixteen-fold rise. He credited the Narendra Modi government’s focus on infrastructure development, connectivity, and digital governance for the expansion.
Shah also used the occasion to highlight the government’s broader welfare and development initiatives over the last 12 years. He cited achievements in poverty reduction, financial inclusion, healthcare coverage, housing, sanitation, drinking water access, and clean cooking fuel distribution. He further stated that the government remains committed to ensuring that every family in India has access to a permanent house in the coming years.
