New Delhi: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has identified 101 projects under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to enhance port connectivity with consumption and production centres, union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday.
Addressing an event organised by industry body CII virtually, the Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister further said as many as 111 waterways, spread over 24 states in the country, have been declared as national waterways.
“Lowering logistic costs is critical for India. Our government is taking several steps to strengthen the logistic ecosystem across the country.
“The Ports, Shipping and Waterways ministry has identified 101 projects under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to enhance port connectivity with consumption and production centres,” he said.
Sonowal said, the government’s infrastructure plans like Sagarmala, Bharatmala project (that aims to lay a grid of highways pan-India), Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), are at various stages of implementation.
Under the Sagarmala project, the ministry provides financial support to state governments for port infrastructure development and skill development programmes.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month launched the PM Gati Shakti national master plan for multi-modal connectivity to reduce logistic costs.
The minister said, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) is ready to connect with other Indian ports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on October 13, had launched the Rs 100 lakh crore national master plan for multi-modal connectivity to develop infrastructure to reduce logistic costs and boost the economy.
Sonowal said, the country’s maritime sector plays a crucial role in its overall trade and growth.
“Our efforts in the past couple of years have started bringing results… the investment in ports have increased over the last five years,” he said.
