He said while Sagarmala is Port-led and focusses on the logistic cost reduction and export-import competitiveness, Holistic Development of Coastal Districts aims to bridge the gaps in infrastructure at the coastal areas and improve economic opportunity. The minister said with addition of projects identified in Holistic Development of Coastal Districts and new project proposals received under Sagarmala, total number of projects stands at 1537 worth Rs. 6.5 lakh crore.

Shri Sonowal said the committee reviewed the progress of the Sagarmala program and deliberated on various agendas. He said  there are 802 projects worth Rs. 5.5 lakh Crore under the Sagarmala program targeted to be executed by 2035. Out of which, 202 projects worth Rs. 99,281 Crore have been completed. He said a total of 29 projects worth Rs. 45,000 Crore have been successfully implemented under PPP model, thus, reducing the financial burden on the exchequer. Additional 32 PPP projects worth Rs. 51,000 Crore are currently being implemented. Further, there are more than 200 projects worth Rs. 2.12 lakh Crore under construction and expected to be completed in 2 years’ time, he added.

The meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) held recently was chaired by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush.  

The Ministry has till date funded 140 projects to the tune of Rs. 8748 crore and is reviewing additional proposals sent by various state governments. More than 200 locations have been identified for development of floating jetties and 50 locations form part of the phase 1 implementation. It also was noted that there are 33 fishing harbour projects taken up of which part funding of 22 fishing harbour projects to the tune of Rs. 2400 crore has been sanctioned.

The successful completion of 7 years of National Flagship Sagarmala Programme has contributed significantly to the comprehensive development of country’s maritime trade and boost in economic growth. Under the program, MoPSW has implemented various large scale projects since inception. These projects range from port modernization, connectivity, industrialization, community development, coastal shipping and inland waterways development. As a result of such effort, the nation has achieved various milestones viz. increased efficiencies, capacity, employment generation, increased private participation, reduction of commuting time, reduction in logistics cost, increase in ease of doing business and placing India on the global map of leading maritime nations.

Government has taken several modernization, mechanization and digital transformation measures at ports to reduce cost and time in international trade like Direct Port Delivery, Direct Port Entry, installation of container scanners and RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) system, Port Community System (PCS1x). Further, PCS1x is being upgraded to NLP-MARINE to provide end-to-end trade facilitation for the shipping ecosystem.

As port play vital role in the export-import trade of the country, the focus of the government continues to be on the capacity augmentation of the ports so that they are able to meet ever increasing trade requirements of the country. The installed capacity of Indian ports during 2014-15 was 1531 MTPA, which has now increased to 2554.61 MTPA in 2020-21.

Traffic handled during FY 2021-22 at Major Ports witnessed a rise of 6.94% over last year. Five Major Ports record their highest ever traffic during FY 2021-22. Kamarajar Port attained an increase of 49.63% traffic over the previous year. The JNPT achieved highest ever traffic during the same period with an impressive growth of 17.27% over the previous year. Deendayal Port also clocked an impressive growth rate of 8.11% and also attained its highest ever traffic of 127.1 Million Tonnes. Mumbai Port marked an increase in traffic of 11.46% over the previous year. Cochin Port grew at 9.68% on Y-o-Y basis and also attained its highest ever traffic.

This has been possible on account of various infrastructure projects undertaken at various ports for construction of new berths and terminals, mechanization of existing berths and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting large of vessels in port channels. Overall Average Turn Around Time reduced from 96 hours in 2014-15 to 52.80 hours in 2021-22 while Container Average Turn Around Time at Major Ports also reduced from 35.21 hours in 2014-15 to 27.22 hours in 2021-22.

Ministry is also developing two mega cruise terminal projects through Sagarmala Scheme at Mumbai and Mormugao Port. Upgrading and modernization of International Cruise Terminal at Mumbai worth Rs. 303 crore is under construction, project has registered progress more than 70%. Ministry is also supporting development of international and domestic cruise terminal and allied facilities at Mormugao Port.

Ministry is providing big push to RoRo and Passenger transportation through waterways as it is environment friendly solution to mobility and resulting in significant savings of cost and time. RoPAX facilities are being developed by State or Central authorities and vessel deployment and services are carried out majorly by private players. In line with PM Gati Shakti initiatives and port connectivity pillar of Sagarmala, MoPSW carried out an intensive exercise to find the connectivity gaps. Based on the consultation with Major

Ports and State Maritime Boards, a list of 52 last mile road connectivity projects have been identified and shared with MoRTH for assessment and development. Similarly, 28 last mile rail connectivity projects have been identified and conveyed to MoRTH for assessment and development.