The workshop was presided over by Sh. Rajive Kumar, Secretary (Shipping) and the key note address was delivered by Sh. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. Speaking on the occasion Sh. Kant said, that ports can act as the catalyst of growth and help in achieving 10% 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, Shri Kant said that there is a need for conglomeration of all the stakeholders for proper execution and have an export focused strategy. For India to increase its current growth rate of 7.6%, 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. He also reiterated the potential of cruise tourism in India and appealed to all the coastal states to work towards promoting the same.
Speaking at the inaugural session Sh. Rajive Kumar, Secretary (Shipping) 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.
UM/NP/MS
