Sailing to Success: India's ₹80 Lakh Crore Maritime Vision

The Government of India has unveiled an ambitious ₹80 lakh crore investment roadmap for the maritime sector by 2047 under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision, aiming to generate 1.5 crore employment opportunities.

Announcing the plan ahead of India Maritime Week 2025, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal outlined key focus areas, including green shipping, supply chain resilience, port modernisation, and digitalisation.

The ongoing Sagarmala programme already includes 840 projects worth ₹5.8 lakh crore, with 272 completed. A flagship initiative is the ₹76,000 crore Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra, projected to become one of the world’s top 10 container ports, creating up to 12 lakh jobs.

India’s maritime infrastructure continues to advance, with ports now achieving an average turnaround time of 0.9 days—faster than counterparts in the US, Germany, and Singapore.

Further developments include:

Expansion of Cochin Port and Vallarpadam transhipment terminal to accommodate rising cargo volumes.

54 Sagarmala projects in Kerala worth ₹24,000 crore, with 20 completed, including modernised fishing harbours in Kochi, Kannur, and Thrissur.

Nine Indian ports now rank among the world’s top 100.

To support this growth, the government has enacted five new maritime laws and established a ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund to promote shipbuilding, large vessel deployment, and inland water transport.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.