Hon’ble Energy, Petrochemicals and Finance Minister Shri Kanubhai Desai welcomed the steps taken by MoPSW for successful implementation of Sagarmala Programme. He also appreciated the impetus given by Sagarmala Programme in the Maritime sector
Hon’ble Minister mentioned that Gujarat is well connected with road, rail and air connectivity to all the major port-based trade routes. He requested Sagarmala to further strengthen & upgrade the port connectivity projects for non-major ports of Gujarat
New Delhi, 6th May 2022:- Gujarat’s Energy, Petrochemicals and Finance Minister Shri Kanubhai Desai attended the National Sagarmala Apex Committee’s 3rd meeting held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and participated in the discussions to review aspects of the Sagarmala Program and deliberated on a new focused approach under the program specifically for holistic development of coastal communities.
He informed the forum that Gujarat is thriving in fishing activities and has taken initiatives to implement major fish processing centers and fish landing centers across the coastline.Non- Major ports of Gujarat are handling the highest cargo amongst the ports across the country; Sagarmala is requested to assist in further upgrading port connectivity projects approaching non-major ports of the state.
Providing information on the projects undertaken he said that there are 75 projects worth Rs. 57,000 crore under Sagarmala programme in the state of Gujarat. Out of which, 13 projects worth Rs. 8,900 crore have been completed; 32 projects worth more than Rs 25,000 cr. are under implementation and 30 projects worth Rs 23,000 crore are under development. These projects are being implemented by central line ministries, major ports, state maritime board and other state agencies.
He further said that the Sagarmala Program has given impetus to the thriving maritime sector in Gujarat. State Government has proposed 47 new projects amounting to 3,200 crore under Sagarmala Programme across the coastline of the state which includes rail-road connectivity, fish processing center, fish landing center, tourism and sea-plane projects.
Throwing light on the state’s commitment of achieving the goals under Sagarmala Project he said, Gujarat is the nearest maritime destination to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe and has the highest number of operational commercial ports. It handles close to 40% of India’s cargo and has contributed around 18% of total cargo transported using coastal shipping.
The presence of port-based Special Investment Regions (SIR), Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and the major industrial infrastructure has propelled the cargo movement by the sea in the state. Gujarat has the most extensive infrastructure in handling Crude, POL, LPG, and LNG in the country. Gujarat Maritime Board has trained 39857 workers under a skill development program who are involved in ship recycling activities at Alang. The country’s First Maritime Museum is being developed at Lothal with a budget allocation of INR 3,150 Crore.
Sagarmala program is a big contributor to India’s socio-economic transformation and its role in propelling fast-track growth and infrastructure development. Under Sagarmala, the Ministry is proposing to include projects for holistic development of the coastal districts in the area of coastal infrastructure development, coastal industrial development, coastal tourism development, and coastal community development.
At this event Union Minister for ports, shipping & waterways, Shri Sarbanand Sonowal launched an e-book on 7 successful years of Sagarmala Programe. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Education & skill development, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Ministers from States and other eminent Dignitaries attended the meeting.
