Guwahati, July 25: Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, today praised the rapid growth and transformation of India’s maritime sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Quoting a recent article by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Chief Minister lauded the strategic reforms and investments that have turned India into a global maritime hub.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), CM Sarma wrote:
“India’s maritime sector has grown by leaps and bounds under @narendramodi ji led Govt. With key reforms and massive investments, the sector is set for fast-paced growth in the coming days. Read this informative piece by Shri @sarbanandsonwal dangoriya.”
Union Minister Sonowal, in his published article titled “Setting Sail for Viksit Bharat with Maritime Growth Push”, outlined how the last decade of transformative governance has brought unprecedented progress to India’s port infrastructure, shipping services, and logistics capabilities. He emphasized that ports such as Visakhapatnam, Mundra, JNPA, and Kamarajar are now recognized globally for efficiency, capacity, and modernized operations.
Citing India’s rise in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) from 54th in 2014 to 38th in 2023, Sonowal credited strategic investments and digitization for reducing container dwell time and turnaround time significantly. He further highlighted a jump in cargo handling capacity, which has nearly doubled over the last decade to 1,681 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
The Minister noted key projects like the Vadhavan Port and Vizhinjam International Seaport, and the launch of India’s Cruise Bharat Mission to boost coastal tourism and passenger cruise traffic. Under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, India also aims to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from major ports and promote hydrogen-fueled green shipping.
Assam’s rivers too have played a role in this resurgence. Under the current government, 106 rivers, including the Brahmaputra, have been declared National Waterways. This has led to a sevenfold increase in inland freight movement, supported by night navigation and digital monitoring systems.
Sonowal also mentioned the ₹1,700 crore budgetary allocation for FY26 to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), exceeding the cumulative expenditure from 1986 to 2014. Plans are also underway to promote coastal tourism, with river-cruise initiatives and a ₹45 crore project under the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC).
India’s re-election to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) council and the strategic agreement on the Chabahar Port with Iran were also highlighted as pivotal diplomatic achievements boosting India’s maritime influence.
As the country enters a new phase of development, both leaders emphasized that India’s maritime renaissance stands as a testament to visionary leadership, robust planning, and global collaboration.
