Shipping Ministry dwells on Innovative Ideas to propel India’s Blue Economy

New Delhi: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) started a three-day Chintan Baithak to discuss and deliberate ideas & innovations that can propel India’s blue economy in Karnataka. The Baithak was chaired by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (PSW) and Ayush, Shri SarbanandaSonowal. 

Shipping Ministry dwells on Innovative Ideas to propel India’s Blue Economy

The Union Minister of State for PSW, Shripad Naik, and the Union Minister of State for PSW, Shantanu Thakur; top officials of the ministry including Chairpersons of all major ports, senior officials of MoPSW attended the meeting to take part in the deliberations in this three-day brainstorming session.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sonowalsaid the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is to enable the development of the coastal areas, improve coastal infrastructure and protect & promote the marine economy. He said all these steps are aimed at the transformation of the blue economy and the realization of the rationale behind ‘transformation through transportation.’ 

Atmanirbhar Bharat

He said to make an Atmanirbhar Bharat, it is imperative that utmost care is taken to optimally utilize the huge opportunity of the Indian marine economy. He said our role - as a ministry of ports, shipping & waterways - is to empower and enable conduits through which this economic transformation can be achieved.

The Minister said through this Chintan Baithak, the best minds of the country have come together so that all of us can deliberate, discuss & decide on various challenges & opportunities. He said this will go a long way in preparing the roadmap for smooth & swift implementation of our plan to develop & modernize our ports. 

Shri Sonowal said we must look at the PPP model for this that will also ease up government resources for Greenfield port development. This will comprehensively develop the coastal regions of India for ease of living for people living in these areas and, at the same time, helps businesses avail best services through ease, he added.

Multi-Modal Connectivity

In order to promote Multi-Modal Connectivity, the Ministry is taking active efforts toward the comprehensive development of both major & non-major ports. The importance of a well-coordinated ecosystem was highlighted during the deliberations. It is imperative that Ports should expedite infrastructure projects at their end to increase the capital expenditure realization, added Shri Sonowal.

For effective implementation of PM Gati Shakti National Multi-Modal Connectivity Plan, emphasis was laid on prioritizing rail-road-waterways development. A Master Plan to enable ports to identify and resolve bottlenecks in multi-modal connectivity is the need of the hour, he said.

A total of 157 road connectivity projects and 137 rail connectivity projects are being undertaken for promoting multimodal connectivity at Ports. The Union Minister exhorted all the port authorities to identify, initiate and complete one important project for modernization and mechanization. This will augment port capacity and improve functional efficiency.

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These completed projects, Shri Sonowal said

These completed projects, Shri Sonowal said, would showcase the efforts taken by the Major Ports to complement the impetus provided by the Prime Minister towards infrastructure development and its multiplier effects by boosting the capital expenditure by Rs. 7.5. Lakh crore the current fiscal - an increase of 35.4% over the previous year.

MoS MoPSW Shri  Shripad Yesso Naik said we should lead the world with new technology and development at our ports.  Other fields related to the ports and shipping sector should also be considered for development, he added. 

MoS of MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur, detailed the strength of the Indian shipping sector and opportunities in the Ports waterways sector. He also appreciated the outcomes of the previous ‘Chintan Baithak’.