Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said that 802 projects worth Rs 55 lakh crore have been targeted to be executed under Sagarmala project by 2035.

Among the projects, 202 projects worth Rs 99,281 crore have been completed and another 200 projects worth Rs 2.12 lakh crore are under construction and expected to be completed in two years time.

Sonowal stated this in a National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) meeting held in New Delhi on Friday. Other senior cabinet ministers and stakeholders were also present at the meeting.

Sonowal said, “Successful completion of seven years of Sagarmala has contributed significantly to comprehensive development of India's maritime trade. Ports play a vital role in EXIM trade and our focus continues to be on capacity augmentation of ports to meet our ever increasing trade requirements.”

“Inland Water Transport can also be an effective mode for enabling movement of bulk commodities in an eco-friendly and economical way. We have carried out successful pilot runs of cargo connecting NW 1 and 2 via Bangladesh. This movement highlights the potential of the mode,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ministry is also developing two mega cruise terminal projects through Sagarmala Scheme at Mumbai and Mormugao Port. Upgrading and modernisation of the International Cruise Terminal at Mumbai worth Rs 303 crore is under construction, and the project has registered progress more than 70 percent.

Sonowal also said that the holistic development of coastal districts aims to bridge the gaps in infrastructure at the coastal areas and improve economic opportunity. Sagarmala is a significant programme of India that aims at accelerating economic development by reducing logistics costs for domestic and EXIM cargo with optimal infrastructure investment.

The Sagarmala Programme is an initiative by the government of India to enhance the performance of the country's logistics sector. The programme envisages unlocking the potential of waterways and the coastline to minimize infrastructural investments required to meet these targets.

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