The Sagarmala Programme (transl.Garland of the Sea) is an initiative by the Government of India to enhance the performance of the country's logistics sector. The programme envisages unlocking the potential of waterways and the coastline to minimize infrastructural investments required to meet these targets.[1][2]
The Sagarmala Programme is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to promote port-led development in the country. Maritime sector in India has been the backbone of the country’s trade and has grown manifold over the years. To harness India’s 7,517 km long coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes, the Government of India has embarked upon the ambitious Sagarmala Programme which aims to promote port-led development in the country. The concept of Sagarmala was approved by the Union Cabinet on 25 March 2015.
The vision of Sagarmala is to reduce logistics costs for both domestic and EXIM cargo with minimal infrastructure investment. Studies under Sagarmala have identified opportunities for reducing overall logistics costs, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the economy, and increasing the competitiveness of exports.
As part of the Programme, a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the comprehensive development of India’s coastline and maritime sector was prepared which was released by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, during the Maritime India Summit 2016.
The projects under the scheme have been categorized into five pillars:
Port modernization & new port development,
Port connectivity enhancement,
Port-led industrialization,
Coastal community development and
Coastal shipping and Inland water transport
Initial source of project list for inclusion of projects in Sagarmala was National Perspective Plan (NPP) prepared along with Master Planning of Major Ports. Subsequently, the projects were added based on the meetings of National and State Steering Committees of Sagarmala and in consultation with major ports and other relevant stakeholders. Further, certain project proposals were also received for funding from various implementing agencies. Projects aligned with Sagarmala objectives were made part of the Programme.
The National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) is composed of the Minister of Shipping with Cabinet Ministers from stakeholder ministries and ministers in charge of ports in India's maritime states. The NSAC approved the overall National Perspective Plan (NPP) and regularly reviews the progress of implementation of these plans.[3][4]
To assist in the implementation of Sagarmala projects, the Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL) was incorporated on 31 August 2016, after receiving Cabinet approval on 20 July 2016, for providing funding support to project SPVs and projects in-line with Sagarmala objectives. Additionally, SDCL is also in the process of preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPRs) and feasibility studies for specific projects that could provide avenues for future equity investment by the company. The Sagarmala Development Company was incorporated after approval from the Indian Cabinet on 20 July 2016 with an initial authorized share capital of ₹1,000 crore and subscribed share capital of ₹90 crore, to give a push to port-led development.[5]
The Sagarmala National Perspective Plan was released by the Prime Minister on 14 April 2016[6] at the maiden Maritime India Summit 2016, with details on Project Plan and Implementation.[7]
Synopsis of Projects under Sagarmala
Under Sagarmala Programme, 839 projects, at an estimated investment of approximately ₹579,971 lakh crore, for implementation by 2035, out of which, 241 projects worth ₹1.22 lakh crore have been completed and 234 projects worth ₹1.8 Lakh Crore are under implementation. In addition to the above, 364 projects worth ₹2.78 Lakh crore are under various stages of development. These projects are being implemented by relevant central ministries, state governments, major ports. Regular monitoring of the projects and interaction with project proponents, various line ministries and implementing agencies is being done with MIS tool. These projects are categorized into five pillars – Port Modernization, Port Connectivity, Port-Led Industrialization, Coastal Community Development and Coastal Shipping & Inland Water Transport. Under holistic development of coastal districts, a total of 567 projects with an estimated cost of around ₹58,000 crores have been identified. The details are as below.
Over the last few years, the Government has taken a number of modernization, mechanization, and digital transformation measures to reduce cost and time in international trade and improve ease-of-doing Business. Ministry is planning expansion of Port capacity through the implementation of well-conceived infrastructure development projects, increasing the efficiency of Port operations through the implementation of a package of recommendations to cut time and cost, digitization of processes to reduce and finally eliminate human interface and to strongly address environment related concerns.
Under the budget head of Sagarmala, 171 projects worth ₹11,000 crores have been sanctioned with funding support of ₹4,570 crores. Out of total 171 projects sanctioned under Sagarmala, 55 projects worth ₹3,400 crores have been completed and 68 projects worth ₹6,000 crores have been awarded and are under implementation. Remaining projects are under development stages. These projects are focusing on various critical aspects of maritime sector such as capacity enhancement at Indian ports, improving connectivity infrastructure, RO-RO, and tourism jetties along with urban water transportation, fishing harbor and skill development of coastal community.
Under Sagarmala Programme,20 projects with a total investment of ₹11,620 crores have been completed in the calendar year 2023, out of which 4 projects focused on Port Modernization, 14 projects on port connectivity, and 2 projects under the pillar of coastal shipping and IWT. Out of these 20 projects, 6 projects have been supported financially under the Sagarmala scheme.
Major projects which have been completed in 2023 includes Bunker Berth at Bharathi Dock in Chennai Port, Breakwater in North and South side of entrance channel& Capital Dredging at Cuddalore Port, Capital Dredging for Puducherry Port, Ro-Pax Facility at Hazira, 12 m wide concrete road connecting berth 5 6 7 8 & 9 to new entry / exit road at Mormugao Port, and Improvement of road connectivity to facilitate trade and port users at Kolkata Dock, Phase-2.
Port-modernization under Sagarmala
Giving special emphasis to modernization of Indian ports under Sagarmala, a total of 234 projects at cost of ₹291,622 lakh crore have been undertaken for implementation by 2035. Out of which, 94 projects worth ₹31,500 crores have been completed. 65 and 75 projects are under implementation and development stages respectively. These projects under the modernization pillar are further divided into 4 categories –New Ports, Port Modernization – Major Ports, Port Modernization – Non-Major Ports, Ship Repair projects.
At Major Ports, 170 projects worth ₹1.6 lakh crores are being implemented in India. Projects under this category have been largely identified through Detailed Master Planning exercise carried out under Sagarmala Programme. Out of 170 projects, 90 projects worth ₹26,000 crores have been completed. Further, 38 projects worth ₹22,000 crores have been awarded and are under implementation. Balance 42 projects worth ₹1.1 lakh crore are under various stages of development.
There are 57 projects worth ₹80,000 crores identified under the Sagarmala Programme for implementation at Non-Major Ports. 4 projects worth ₹5,400 crores have been completed so far whereas 24 projects worth ₹52,000 crores are under implementation. The remaining 29 projects worth ₹23,000 crores are under various stages of development. 31 projects out of 45 are being implemented in PPP mode with a total investment of ₹46,000 crores. The Ministry is also financially supporting several projects at non-major ports to enhance their capacity and efficiency during operations. Project of construction of breakwaters and dredging at Cuddalore port is completed. Dredging at Puducherry port is 100% supported under Sagarmala and coastal berths have been planned at Old Mangaluru Port, Karwar, and Diu.
Port Connectivity under Sagarmala
The Sagarmala Programme has identified connectivity between ports and domestic production and consumption centers through rail, road, pipeline, MMLP under the dedicated pillar of port connectivity, consisting of 279 projects of total worth ₹206,363 lakh crore which are being undertaken by various implementing agencies. Out of these, 83 projects worth ₹43,300 crores have been completed and 66 projects worth ₹79,600 crores have been awarded and are under implementation. Remaining, 130 projects worth ₹83,400 crores are under development.
Further, a Comprehensive Port Connectivity Plan (CPCP) was prepared by DPIIT in September 2022, in consultation with MoPSW, MoR, MoRTH, and State Maritime Boards. CPCP identified 100+ new road and rail connectivity infrastructure gaps, many of which have been included in the Sagarmala Programme.
There are 114 port-rail connectivity projects under Sagarmala which are being implemented by Indian Railways, Major Ports, and State Govts. Out of these,49 projects worth ₹26,390 Cr. are completed adding 1,675 kms of rail, and 28 projects worth ₹43,000 Cr. are under implementation. Further, 37 projects worth ₹31,000 Cr. are under development. These projects will help in integrating port rail and road connectivity resulting in a reduction in logistics costs for the EXIM business.
There are 152 port-road connectivity projects identified under Sagarmala which are being implemented by MoRTH / NHAI, Major Ports, and State Govts. Out of these, 26 projects worth ₹9,600 Cr. are completed adding 500 kms of roads and 36 projects worth ₹37,000 Cr. are under implementation, Further, 90 projects worth ₹51,000 Cr. are under development.
‘Report on Connectivity of Ports to Industrial Nodes’ has been prepared by MoPSW wherein an assessment and gap analysis of connectivity or ports vis-a-viz all the existing and upcoming nodes under different industrial corridors under NICDIT has been done. The report has identified 62 new road and rail infrastructure gaps. The report was shared with MoR and MoRTH in October 2023 with request for further actions regarding the projects proposed in the report.[10]
Port-led industrialization under Sagarmala
Port-led industrialization focuses on reducing logistics costs by locating industries at the ports. There are overall 14 projects worth ₹55,800 crores have been identified for implementation under Sagarmala. Out of which, 9 projects worth ₹45,865 crores have been completed and 5 projects worth Rs. ₹10,000 crores are under various stages of implementation and development. These projects are further divided into 3 categories – Industrial Cluster, Smart Industrial Port City (SIPC) / Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Thermal Power Plant.
Coastal Community Development under Sagarmala
The coastal community is considered as one of the key stakeholders of the Sagarmala Programme and hence, ensuring their socio-economic well-being is considered as one of the major objectives. 81 projects at a cost of ₹11,500 crores have been undertaken for implementation. Out of which, 21 projects worth ₹1,500 crores have been completed and 60 Projects worth ₹10,000 crores are under various stages of implementation and development.
Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and MoPSW have renewed the MoU to enable skill development of coastal population under DDU-GKY Sagarmala Convergence Programme. Under this convergence, the entire funding support is being provided by MoPSW and implementation and management is carried out by MoRD. More than 5,900 candidates have been trained under this convergence. Multi Skill Development Center (MSDC) is already operational at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). More than 2,300 candidates have been trained in this centre. Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS), a first of its kind in Asia having two campuses with 24 laboratories in total (6 laboratories in IRS Mumbai and 18 in Indian Maritime University campus in Vishakhapatnam). The Institute provides 50 courses at its campuses for engineering, polytechnic, and graduate students. Institute has trained more than 13,000 candidates.
Fisheries
There are 37 fishing harbour projects worth ₹6,500 crores being implemented under the Sagarmala Programme. MoPSW is part-funding 26 fishing harbour projects worth ₹3,700 crore and has sanctioned ₹960 crores. 9 out of 26 projects with a financial assistance of ₹144.5 crore have been completed. Additionally, 5 fishing harbours adjacent to Major ports namely Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Mallet Bunder have been sanctioned for modernization and up-gradation. Out of 37 fishing harbour projects, 10 projects worth ₹640 crores are completed, 27 projects worth ₹5,900 crores are under various stages of implementation and development. Further, 50 locations have been identified in Phase I for implementation of floating jetties in the Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, and Kerala. 20 locations have already been provided in-principle approval from the Ministry
Coastal Shipping & IWT
MoPSW under the Sagarmala Programme aims to promote urban waterways passenger transportation (RoPax/ Passenger ferry service) ecosystem in the country. This mode of transportation has proved to have multiple benefits over other modes of transportation such as improved cargo delivery and minimize passenger travel time, reduced risk of accidents, improved operational speed, low-cost transportation, lower fuel consumption, lower congestion on roads and rail, lowered air, noise, and land pollution, along with providing seamless travel to passengers, and vehicles.
Under Sagarmala, there are 63 projects worth ₹2,066 crores at 57 different locations of which 10 projects worth ₹527 crores at 07 locations have already been completed. Out of which 4 operational locations are namely, Hazira in the state of Gujarat and Mandwa, KanhojiAngre Island, and Belapur in the state of Maharashtra. The operational terminals in the state of Maharashtra have also enabled routes to Elephanta Islands, Navi Mumbai, JNPA and DCT Mumbai.
The Ro-Pax and Passenger ferry service has reduced the travel time on routes as follow-
Ro-Pax and Passenger Ferry Service
Reduced Travel Time
Mumbai- Mandwa
3 hrs to 45 mins
Belapur- Elephanta island
2.15 hrs to 30 mins
Belapur- JNPA
45 mins to 30 mins
Belapur- Mumbai
1.30 hrs to 20 mins
Belapur- Mandwa
2 hrs to 45 mins
Hazira- Ghogha
10 hrs to 4 hrs
The services have benefitted more than 30 lakh passengers, transported more than 5 lakh passenger vehicles and more than one lakh cargo carrying trucks, thereby saving more than 2 crore liters of fuel and nearly 44 MT of carbon emissions. Additionally, these projects have brought in tourism in the region with activities such as bird watching (flamingo’s) and water sports.
In addition, there are 18 projects worth ₹2,139 crore which focuses on providing infrastructure for coastal handling of cargo. 5 projects worth ₹321 crores have been completed, 5 projects are currently under implementation and 8 more projects are under various stages of development. 5 projects are being implemented at major ports whereas 13 projects are for improving coastal infrastructure at non-major ports.
National Maritime Heritage Museum, Lothal
India has a rich maritime heritage, and the earliest maritime evidence dates back to around 4500 years. To showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has envisioned the development of a National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal near Ahmedabad. Lothal is one among the prominent cities of the traditional Harappan civilization, dating to 2400 BC, located in Gujarat. NMHC will not only curate and present diverse & rich artefacts from ancient to modern times from across India but also inspire the public and make them aware of and learn about our glorious maritime heritage.
The NMHC project, is envisaged to be one of the largest maritime complexes in the world which is aimed to be developed as a world class and unique complex having a comprehensive integration of past, present, and future maritime activities, edutainment through interactive and experiential holistic learning, depiction of life size architecture of Lothal, etc. The project components of NMHC include NMHC museum with 14 galleries, Lothal Town and Open Aquatic Gallery, Lighthouse Museum, Bagicha Complex, Coastal State Pavilions and Recreation of Lothal city, Eco resorts and Museuotel, Theme based parks, Maritime research institute and hostel, etc. The NMHC project will not only boost tourism but will also generate employment in large numbers and will also help in reviving the local businesses of the region.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by Hon’ble Prime Minister in March 2019. MoPSW has appointed Indian Ports Association as the nodal agency, while Indian Port Rail Corporation Ltd (IPRCL) as executing agency of the project. The masterplan of the project has been prepared by renowned architecture firm M/s Architect Hafeez Contractor and the construction of phase 1A has been entrusted to Tata Projects Ltd. The Govt. of Gujarat has transferred a land of 400 acres for the project development and has also undertaken the development of external infrastructure and part of basic internal infrastructure of the project.
G. K. Vasan is an Indian Politician and son of G. K Moopanar, a veteran Indian National Congress Leader. G K Vasan is currently the president of Tamil Maanila Congress (M), a political party in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was a member of Rajya Sabha, an upper house of Indian Parliament from the year 2002 until 2014. During his tenure as a Member of Indian Parliament, he had functioned in several positions in the Union Government under UPA 1 & UPA II regime including as a Minister of State for Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation from Jan 2006 – May 2009; Union Minister of Shipping from May 2009 – May 2014 and as an In-charge Minister for Labour from January 2014 - April 2014.
Kamarajar Port, formerly Ennore Port, is located on the Coromandel Coast, Chennai about 18 km north of Chennai Port. It is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company. The Kamarajar Port Limited is the only corporatised major port and is registered as a company. Chennai Port Trust acquired around 67% stake of Centre in the Kamarajar Port Limited on 27 March 2020. The remaining 23 percent was already held by the Chennai Port Trust.
The North–South–East–West r (NS-EW) is the largest ongoing highway project in India. It is the second phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), and consists of building 7300 kilometers of four/six lane highways associating Srinagar, Kanyakumari, Kochi, Porbandar and Silchar, at a cost of US$12.317 billion ₹1000000000000(One lakh Crore INR). As of 19 March 2024, 6875 of the 7142 kilometers project has been finished.
The National Highways Development Project (NHDP) was a project of four laning of existing national highways and six laning of selected major national highways of India. The project was started in 1998 under the leadership of Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. National Highways account for only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across the length and breadth of the country. This project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. The NHDP represents 49,260 km of roads and highways work and construction in order to boost economic development of the country. The government has planned to end the NHDP program in early 2018 and subsume the ongoing projects under a larger Bharatmala project.
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a scheme formulated by Government of India on 23 December 1993 that enables the members of parliaments (MP) to recommend developmental work in their constituencies with an emphasis on creating durable community assets based on locally felt needs.
Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths. It is only about 170 kilometres west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the Indian ministry responsible for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to ports, shipping and waterways. The minister is Sarbananda Sonowal.
Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) is an Indian central public sector enterprise (PSU) which works as the construction arm of the Ministry of Railways for project implementation and transportation infrastructure development. It was incorporated in 2003 to meet the country's surging infrastructural requirements and to implement projects on a fast-track basis as well as for creating a Railway equipment construction company. RVNL is a Navratna PSU in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It was constituted under IWAI Act-1985 by the Parliament of India. Its headquarters is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is a ministry of the Government of India, that is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, transport research and in also to increase the mobility and efficiency of the road transport system in India. Through its officers of Central Engineering Services (Roads) cadre it is responsible for the development of National Highways of the country.
The Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram(English pronunciation:/vɪzɪnˈdʒamˌɪntərˈnæʃənlˈsiːpɔːtˌtɪrʊvənənˈtɑːpʊrəm/, VIZH-in-jam in-ter-NASH-uh-nuhl SEE-port thir-uh-vuh-nuh-thuh-PUR-uhm) is India's first deep water container transshipment port, currently under trial run from July 2024. Located in Vizhinjam in the capital city Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the port is designed to be a multi-purpose, all-weather, green port located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. It is poised to become India's first automated port and holds a unique position as the only Indian port directly adjacent to an international shipping lane. The port's location offers a significant advantage: it lies just 10 nautical miles (19 km) from the heavily trafficked east-west shipping channel connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the Far East. The port has a natural depth of 24 meters, which reduces the need for dredging, and possesses the capability to host many of the world's massive cargo ships, including those exceeding 24,000 TEU, such as vessels of the ULCS container ships like the MSC Irina. The cruise berth under construction along the breakwater will be able to handle large cruise ships such as the Icon of the seas. The Seaport's location offers an advantage as it is situated near an international shipping channel, facilitating connections to global trade routes. When fully commissioned, it is expected that the seaport may have the capacity to cater to 50 percent of the container transhipment needs of India that currently take place at Dubai, Colombo and Singapore. The first phase of the project amounts to ₹8,867 crore, and the remaining phases cost ₹20,000 crore making the total cost ₹28,867 crore.
The Maharashtra Maritime Board is governmental organisation in the state of Maharashtra, India. The board is tasked with the administration of ports and harbours, conservancy, licensing of crafts, levying of fees, regulation and control of traffic. Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) came into existence in 1996 and Commissioner, Water Transport was re-designated as chief executive officer, MMB.
The National Shipping Board is an Advisory Body on matters related to shipping and shipping infrastructure (ports). As India gained its independence in 1947 shipping had become very important for the growth of India as the Shipping Laws were created by old British law it had to be revised and in 1958 when the Merchant Shipping Law was consolidated and the opportunity was taken to provide for the formation of a Permanent statutory body called the National Shipping Board. The National Shipping Board was established on 1 March 1959.The Body was established by a recommendation to the Reconstruction Policy Sub-Committee as early as 1947. It comes under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (India), it looks into matters related to Indian Shipping.The National Shipping Board members are elected/nominated by Parliament, Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament and Rajya Sabha. The National Maritime Agenda 2010-2020 is an initiative of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & The National Shipping Board to outline the framework for the development of the port sector. The agenda also suggests policy-related initiatives to improve the operating efficiency and competitiveness of the Ports in India.
The Bharatmala Pariyojna was a project in India implemented by Government of India. It was slated to interconnect 550 District Headquarters through a minimum 4-lane highway by raising the number of corridors to 50 and move 80% of freight traffic to National Highways by interconnecting 24 logistics parks, 66 inter-corridors (IC) of total 8,000 km (5,000 mi), 116 feeder routes (FR) of total 7,500 km (4,700 mi) and 7 northeast Multi-Modal waterway ports. The project also includes the development of tunnels, bridges, elevated corridors, flyovers, overpasses, interchanges, bypasses, ring roads, etc. to provide the shortest, jam-free & optimized connectivity to multiple places, it is a centrally-sponsored and funded Road and Highways project of the Government of India.
Setu Bharatam was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 March 2016 at a budget of ₹102 billion (US$1.2 billion), with an aim to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019.
Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) is a key policy initiative of the Government of India, led by National Highways Logistics Management Limited under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to develop Multi-Modal Logistics Parks in hub-and-spoke model to improve the country's freight logistics sector by lowering overall freight costs and time, cutting warehousing costs, reducing vehicular pollution and congestion, improving the tracking and traceability of consignments through infrastructural, procedural, and information technology interventions.
India–China Border Roads is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project is largely in response to Chinese infrastructure development along the borderlands with India. Several entities are responsible for constructing ICBR, including Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which handles the bulk of the ICBR road construction work, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MoDNER), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), public works departments of respective states and others. At least 67 per cent of the road network assigned to BRO falls under ICBR.
The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is a fully owned company of the Government of India, set up in 2014 and is responsible for management of a network of over 10,000 km of National Highways out of 1,15,000 km in India. It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) is an under construction tourism complex near Lothal in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India which will present the maritime heritage of India. The complex will have museums, amusement parks, educational institute, hotels and resort. It will also recreate Dholavira and Lothal cities in the complex.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Indiaportal 
