Parliament Question: Impact of Sagarmala Project on country's maritime trade

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *113 ANSWERED ON10.02.2026 IMPACT OF SAGARMALA PROJECT ON COUNTRY'S MARITIME TRADE *113. SHRI AYODHYA RAMI REDDY ALLA: Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which Sagarmala Project's focus on coastal shipping and port modernisation impact India's maritime trade competitiveness and potential implications for the country's EXIM trade and economic growth; and (b) the potential opportunity costs associated with allocating ₹10,000 crore to the Sagarmala Project and how investments in alternative sectors such as digital infrastructure, healthcare or education impact India's economic growth and development trajectory? ANSWER MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL) (a) to (b) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (b) of RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *113 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10TH FEBRUARY, 2026 RAISED BY SHRI AYODHYA RAMI REDDY ALLA REGARDING “IMPACT OF SAGARMALA PROJECT ON COUNTRY’S MARITIME TRADE” (a) Sagarmala is a central sector scheme of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways with the objective to promote port-led development in the country. Under this scheme, the ministry provides financial assistance to the projects under 5 pillars, namely port modernization, port connectivity, port-led industrialization, coastal community development, and coastal shipping & inland water transport. Since the inception of the scheme, 6 projects of construction of coastal berths worth ₹385.5 crore have been funded under the pillar of coastal shipping & inland water transport. Out of these, 5 projects worth ₹ 320.5 crore have been completed. The completed projects have resulted in increase of coastal cargo handling capacity by ~6.5 million tonnes. Further, 17 projects worth ₹852.4 crore out of 24 projects worth ₹ 1033.43 crore, funded under port modernisation pillar, have been completed. The completed projects resulted into implementation of automation, modernisation, safety measures and sustainable initiatives. The above 22 completed projects have strengthened India’s maritime trade competitiveness by enhancing cargo handling capacity, promoting coastal shipping, reducing logistics costs and turnaround times thus contributing in country's EXIM trade and economic growth. (b) Allocating funds to Sagarmala projects outweighs the associated opportunity costs. This investment would be strategically made in the projects across various pillars of Sagarmala i.e. port modernisation, port connectivity, coastal community development, coastal shipping and inland water transport, ship repair and recycling, and island development. Collectively, these pillars encompass the development of digital infrastructure, skilling and employment generation for coastal communities, inland water transport and port-linked infrastructure to enhance EXIM trade competitiveness. This would also provide support to coastal communities and promote ancillary industries such as multi-modal logistics parks, ship repair clusters, and green hydrogen fuel hubs. These interventions would, inter alia, generate a strong multiplier effect on the national economy while significantly enhancing livelihoods, regional development, and competitiveness of the maritime sector and help in achieving the objectives of Maritime AmritKaal Vision (MAKV) 2047. *****