The Maritime India Vision-2030, a 10-year blueprint with the aim of overhauling the Indian maritime sector, envisages Rs 3 lakh crore investment in port projects that in turn promises to generate employment for 20 lakh persons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 on Tuesday while inaugurating the three-day Maritime India Summit 2021, participated by 24 nations.
"Maritime India Vision 2030 would involve an investment of over Rs 3 lakh crore, which would generate more than 20 lakh jobs and unlock annual revenue potential for major ports worth over Rs 20,000 crore," according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways' document. As per the document, Rs 1-1.25 lakh crore investments are planned in augmenting the infrastructure of major ports, which would help in creating 7-10 lakh jobs.
It envisages developing mega capacity ports in high potential areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha-West Bengal Cluster at an investment of over Rs 80,000 crore. The government plans to increase the transshipment volumes of Indian cargo at Indian ports from 25 per cent in 2020 to more than 75 per cent by 2030 by operationalisation of Vizhinjam port and development of Transshipment zone in Kanyakumari and Champbell Bay.
Initiatives to enhance Ease of Doing Business are planned under it which include implementing Enterprise Business System (EBS) to simplify and digitize processes across Major Ports by 2021, developing National Marine Logistics Portal to implement 100 per cent paperless processes including online payment and implementing unified ship e-registration portal. "Port-led industrialization would help realise a revenue of over Rs 10,000 crore for major ports, while generating a cost savings of Rs 20,000 crore," it said.
It said shift from road/rail to costal shipping could generate cost savings of Rs 9,000-10,000 crore. It plans development of green sustainable ports with an aim to increase the share of renewable energy to over 60 per cent by 2030 from current levels of less than 10 per cent besides promoting waste to wealth through sustainable dredging and domestic ship recycling and aims at reaching the target of Zero Accident Ports by 2022.
Also, the policy focuses on 'Make in India, Make for the world' and thereby becoming a leading ship building country by 2030 through 15 times increase in the gross tonnage of ships built in India. It envisages setting up a maritime development fund to provide low cost, long term funding to maritime sector stakeholders besides enhancing cruise infrastructure by developing dedicated cruise terminals at 12 selected ports.
Also, development of five themes will be promoted for cruise tourism pilgrim, heritage, ayurvedic & wellness, island tourism and regional international circuit (India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand). The policy plans incentivising global cruise liners to make India their home port and emphasises on strengthening the maritime institutions to enhance India's training and development capabilities at par with global standards.
This would help in increasing India's share of seafarers from 12 per cent at present to over 20 per cent. Prioritising development of 23 national waterways is planned under it with maximum potential in Phase 1 besides increasing the cargo movement from 73 million tonne per annum (MTPA) to over 200 MTPA.
It will also focus on the development of eastern waterways connectivity transport grid for enhancing regional connectivity and reducing cost of transportation from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, as per the document. Earlier Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya had chaired a series of extensive brainstorming sessions with chairpersons of all major ports and senior officials of the ministry to come out with plans to simplify and smoothen the operations of major ports to convert ports in ''smart ports'' and further intelligent ports' as envisioned in Maritime India Vision-2030.
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