Sagarmala Projects

Sagarmala Projects

News: Recently, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) chaired the meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.
• NSAC is the apex body providing policy directions and guidance for port led development-Sagarmala projects and reviews its implementation. It was constituted in May, 2015 by the Union Cabinet.
• Holistic development of coastal communities through a new initiative ‘Sagartat Samriddhi Yojana’ was discussed in the meeting.

About:
• The Sagarmala Programme was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2015 which aims at holistic port infrastructure development along the 7,516-km long coastline through modernisation, mechanisation and computerisation.
• The vision of the Sagarmala Programme is to reduce logistics costs for EXIM (Export-Import) and domestic trade with minimal infrastructure investment.
• Sagarmala could boost India’s merchandise exports to USD 110 billion by 2025 and create an estimated 10 million new jobs (four million in direct employment).
• The Ministry has started the ambitious Project of Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) with potential airline operators.

Components:
• Port Modernization and development of new Greenfield ports.
• Enhancing the connectivity of the ports to the hinterland, optimizing cost and time of cargo movement through multi-modal logistics solutions including domestic waterways (inland water transport and coastal shipping).
• Promoting sustainable development of coastal communities through skill development & livelihood generation activities, fisheries development, coastal tourism.
• Impetus to move cargo through the sustainable and environment-friendly coastal and inland waterways mode.

Sagartat Samriddhi Yojana
• Prime Minister launched the Sagarmala – Sagartat Samridhi Yojana during the release of “Maritime India Vision 2030” in March 2021.
• The four key areas in which this initiative falls include Coastal Infrastructure Development, Coastal Tourism, Coastal Industrial Development and Coastal Community Development.