Kolkata - The Public Investment Board (PIB) has approved a proposal from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to extend dredging assistance worth ₹1,839.41 crore to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA) for seven years starting FY25. The subsidy will support maintenance dredging in the Hooghly River and the navigation channel serving the Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock Complex.

The approval, granted during a PIB meeting on November 12 chaired by the Expenditure Secretary, stipulates that the assistance will remain in place until FY31. After that, SMPA will be required to fully fund . . .