Sagaramala: 110 projects worth ₹1 lakh crore identified in A.P., says Union Minister

As a part of the Sagarmala programme, 110 projects, worth more than ₹1 lakh crore, have been identified in Andhra Pradesh for enhancing infrastructure related to port-led industrialisation, port modernisation, port connectivity enhancement, coastal community development, coastal shipping and inland waterways.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal shared this information during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, in response to a question by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy about the steps being taken by the Central government to promote the development of Andhra Pradesh as a key logistics hub along the East Coast.

“These projects are implemented by the Union Ministries, lnland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), State government, and the Visakhapatnam Port Authority. Under the Sagarmala project, the Centre is partially funding nine projects worth ₹1,286 crore in Andhra Pradesh,” the Union Minister said.

The State Maritime & Waterway Transport Committee (SMWTC) was constituted to coordinate and implement an array of initiatives and schemes in the maritime sector. The aim was to coordinate various initiatives and to foster collaboration between the State and Central agencies to ensure comprehensive development of maritime and waterways transport in the State.

The Union government has also constituted the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, with Ministers In-charge of Ports of all the coastal States/UTs and Ministers from the line Ministries as members to review the progress of infrastructure development in the maritime sector at regular intervals.

The government has launched the National Logistics Portal Marine (Sagar Setu) to provide a one-stop platform aimed at connecting all stakeholders of the logistics sector, including major ports, using information technology. This was designed to reduce logistics costs, enhance ease-of-doing business, improve port efficiency and promote seamless coordination across the entire maritime supply chain.