Earlier, ships had huge pre-berthing delays at ports and loading/unloading of cargo was also very tedious. But over the past decade, the situation has changed, informed the PM as he inaugurated three major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 4,000s crore in Kochi.
The projects included a new dry dock and international ship repair facility and International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) at Cochin Shipyard, and LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation. These projects, an official statement said, are in line with the PM’s vision to transform India’s ports, shipping, and waterways sector, and build capacity and self-sufficiency in it.
The PM pledged to build world class mega ports and empower the country with mega shipbuilding and ship-repairing facilities. He recalled how the ports played a major role in India’s erstwhile prosperity in historic times and proposed a similar platform for ports now to lead India’s growth when India is taking new strides and becoming a major centre of global trade. He listed an increase in port capacity, investment in port infrastructure, and improved connectivity of ports under the Sagarmala Project.
“The world is recognizing India’s potential and position in global trade”, Modi said, shedding light on the agreements made during India’s G20 Presidency regarding the Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor will further strengthen the creation of Viksit Bharat by giving a boost to the coastal economy of India.
Modi said the new dry dock was the national pride of India. This will not only enable big vessels to dock but also make shipbuilding and ship repair work possible here, reducing dependence on foreign countries and will also save foreign exchange.
The ship repair facility, the PM said, would transform Kochi into India and Asia’s largest ship repair centre. Drawing the analogy of multiple MSMEs coming together in the manufacturing of INS Vikrant, he expressed confidence in the creation of a new ecosystem of MSMEs with the inauguration of such huge shipbuilding and repair facilities.
The new LPG Import Terminal will meet the LPG needs of Kochi, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Calicut, Madurai, and Trichy while also supporting industries, other economic development activities and creation of new jobs in these areas, the PM added.
The PM highlighted the reforms made in the ports, shipping and waterways sector in the last 10 years and said that it has brought new investments in India’s ports and created new employment opportunities. The reforms in rules related to Indian Seafarers had led to an increase in the number of seafarers in the country by 140%. Within the country, the PM added that passenger and cargo transport got a major boost by making use of inland waterways.
