Indian Transport & Logistics

Government organises first workshop on Sagarmala project

Government organises first workshop on Sagarmala project
X

Jun 12, 2017: The Ministry of Shipping recently organized a workshop on its flagship programme titled, “Accelerating Sagarmala Implementation – Engaging with States” in New Delhi. The main objective of the workshop was to enhance the engagement among Ministry of Shipping, other ministries and various maritime states of India for Sagarmala Programme.

The workshop was presided over by Rajive Kumar, Secretary (Shipping) and the key note address was delivered by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. Speaking on the occasion Kant said, that ports can act as the catalyst of growth and help in achieving 10 percent consistent growth rate for the country, hence making Sagarmala programme the game changer for the country’s development.

Exemplifying, the success stories of China, Korea, Japan and Singapore, where the ports have led the country’s growth strategy, Kant said that there is a need for conglomeration of all the stakeholders for proper execution and an export focused strategy. For India to increase its current growth rate of 7.6 percent, it’s essential to penetrate the global markets which only ports can drive. He pointed out that land is not a challenge and all what is required is optimum utilisation of available resources. For Indian goods to be at par with global markets, the logistic costs need to be reduced and that will be possible if ports become the manufacturing hubs, he added.

Meanwhile, speaking at the inaugural session, Kumar called out for active participation from the state authorities for execution of the projects. The Sagarmala programme has moved from planning to implementation stage and three key areas where states can take up projects is connectivity enhancement, development of cruise ships and promotion of coastal shipping, he said.

The objective of the workshop was to familiarize the key stakeholders with the provisions of the Sagarmala programme, its objectives and avenues available for them to implement the projects under Sagarmala. The workshop provided a platform for the maritime states to exhibit their ongoing work and work envisaged for future and also to provide a feedback mechanism to address their concerns with regards to Sagarmala programme. Funding guidelines, coastal berth scheme and initiatives under the coastal community development especially for skill development was also discussed during the workshop.

The workshop was also attended by principal secretaries of the maritime states, chairmen of ports and officials of the line ministries. Special sessions were also held for port-rail connectivity by Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited (IPRCL) and development of coastal community. To create more awareness about the Sagarmala programme and to increase interactions with the stakeholders, the Ministry of Shipping plans to organize a series of workshops over the next 6 – 8 months under the aegis of the Sagarmala programme.

Picture Caption: Rajive Kumar speaks during the workshop
Read Full Article
Next Story
Share it