India’s ambitious Sagarmala Programme continues to gain momentum with 272 critical road and rail connectivity projects underway, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
These projects, spanning implementation by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, major ports, and private sector players, form the backbone of India’s drive toward port-led infrastructure growth.
Project Progress Snapshot:
- Total projects: 272
- Completed: 74
- Under implementation: 67
- Under development: 131
A National Sagarmala Apex Committee leads the charge on policy direction and inter-agency coordination. Parallelly, Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) meetings are fostering alignment across central and state bodies.
Investment & Mode of Execution:
- 839 total Sagarmala projects identified 272
- Estimated value: ₹5.79 lakh crore (~₹5.8 trillion)
- Of these,
- 119 projects worth ₹2.42 lakh crore are being executed in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode
- Remaining projects are under government-funded EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) mode
- Governance & Tech-Driven Transformation:
- To ensure faster rollouts and transparency:
- The Sagarmala Funding Guidelines have been revised for better financial oversight and efficiency.
- An MoU has been signed with C-DAC to establish a Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE), focused on digital transformation in ports and shipping.
- Digital Advancements:
- Launch of SAGAR SETU – a digital platform to:
- Enhance EXIM service efficiency
- Reduce vessel and cargo documentation time
- Promote paperless trade and ease of doing business
- Introduction of a standardised Scale of Rates (SOR):
- Ensures uniformity in service definitions
- Provides transparent port tariff structures
This update reflects India’s commitment to modernizing its maritime logistics ecosystem through a combination of infrastructure development, policy reforms, and technology integration. Stay tuned for more insights as we track progress across the Sagarmala corridor.