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

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

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 taken by the Central government to promote the development of Andhra Pradesh as a major logistics hub along the East Coast.

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

The State Maritime and Waterway Transport Committee (SMWTC) was created to coordinate and implement a number of initiatives and plans in the maritime sector. The aim was to coordinate various initiatives and promote cooperation between the State and Central institutions to ensure comprehensive development of maritime and water transport in the state.

The Union government has also constituted the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC), chaired by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, with Ministers in Charge of Ports of all coastal States/UTs and Ministers from 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 Sea (Sagar Setu) to provide a one-stop platform aimed at connecting all stakeholders of the logistics sector, including major ports, using information technology. This is designed to reduce logistics costs, improve ease of doing business, improve port efficiency and promote seamless coordination across the entire maritime supply chain.