National Advisory Board calls for integrated management for climate-resilient agriculture (See 'Corp Brief') Arbitration - Where arbitration proceedings are meant for resolving civil & contractual disputes, they cannot be invoked to resolve penal offences under the Negotiable Instruments Act: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Centre of Excellence to advance Indigenous Telecom R&D (See 'Corp Brief') 102 Route Km Wadi-Raichur Section to be upgraded with 2×25 kV Electric Traction System (See 'Corp Brief') A & C Act - Private contractual confidentiality clause cannot override statutory or legal obligation to disclose documents directed by court of law: HC (See 'Legal Desk') CERT-In conducts 10 Cyber Security Exercises on AI-Driven Cyber Threats (See 'Corp Brief') Sonowal urges 'Faster Execution', calls for 'Speed & Scale' to meet 2030 maritime targets (See 'Corp Brief') NDPS - While mere non-compliance with procedural mandates of Sec 52A of NDPS Act is not automatically fatal to prosecution, it necessitates heightened scrutiny test of remaining evidence: HC (See 'Legal Desk') India Mobile Congress 2026 - scaling without boundaries forms goal (See 'Corp Brief') MoRD and PCI India ink MoU to bolster women-led enterprises through public procurement (See 'Corp Brief') 5.56 lakh recruitments done since 2014, Including 50,485 in Southern Railway: Vaishnaw (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Mark - Interim injunction allowed where plaintiff successfully satisfies triple test by a strong prima facie case, imbalance of convenience & irreparable injury: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Corporate Mitra Scheme Awareness Webinar organized by IICA Shillong (See 'Corp Brief') Assam Exports First International Consignment of Purabi Ice Cream to Bhutan (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - If plaintiff demonstrates prior adoption, statutory registrations, commercial reputation, and prima facie deceptive similarity between rival marks used for identical goods through common trade channels, ex parte injunction may be granted: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Common Service Centres increase from 83,950 to 5,01,731 (See 'Corp Brief') RM calls for tech-driven preventive healthcare to enhance combat readiness (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Once claim is consciously and formally withdrawn by party, arbitrator completely loses jurisdiction to adjudicate upon it: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Railways approves Rs 163 Crore Electric Traction Upgradation in South Central Railway (See 'Corp Brief') Govt promotes indigenous Potash Production and Alternative Nutrient Sources (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Personal guarantee expressly drafted as a continuing and irrevocable guarantee does not stand discharged merely because the guarantor resigns as director of the corporate debtor: NCLAT (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves amalgamation of Go Digit Infoworks with Go Digit General Insurance (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays acquisition of units of Oaktree capital group by Brookfield Asset Management (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - If IRP is allowed to perform only limited functions during period when CIRP is under substantial judicial restriction, IRP is not automatically entitled to full professional fees at minimum monthly rate: NCLAT (See 'Legal Desk') Amritsar becomes second spoke airport under India's International Aviation Hub Strategy (See 'Corp Brief') RRBs post Highest-Ever Net Profit of Rs. 10,177 Crore in FY 2025-26 (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Retention or continued freezing of a person's property cannot be permitted solely or primarily on ground that investigation is ongoing: SAFEMA TRIBUNAL (See 'Legal Desk') NHAI Successfully defends Major Arbitration Case to Safeguard Public Funds (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Coal beneficiation cannot per se be excluded from ambit of manufacturing process to justify quashing of criminal complaint at preliminary stage: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Digital India BHASHINI conducts Multilingual AI Workshop for Haryana Vidhan Sabha (See 'Corp Brief') MISC - RBI, possessing superior expertise in financial administration over cooperative authorities, has independent power to supersede board of a cooperative bank under the Banking Regulation Act - Principles of natural justice do not apply to Section 36AAA of Banking Regulation Act 1949: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Youth Unrest & CJP Agitation: Key Learnings (See CORP EINSICHT) IPR - Patent offices cannot rely on mere hypotheses or hindsight to dismiss technical advancement: HC (See 'Legal Desk') 'Corporate Mitra Scheme' Awareness Webinar Successfully Organized by IICA Shillong (See 'Corp Brief') Rajya Sabha organises Orientation Programme for newly elected Members (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Service of insolvency petition on corporate debtor's registered email address available in MCA records constitutes valid service, if accompanied by attempts at service at registered office and publication in accordance with NCLT Rules: NCLAT (See 'Legal Desk') Coast Guard rescues 170 Persons in Flood Relief Operations across Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Prior or parallel proceedings under SARFAESI and before DRT do not bar Section 95 insolvency application: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Public Advisory: Beware of Fraudulent Air Suvidha 2.0 Websites (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Liquidation application allowed where corporate debtor is not a going concern, has prima facie nil asset value & where requirements of Section 33 of IBC 2016 are met: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk')

Print

Sonowal urges 'Faster Execution', calls for 'Speed & Scale' to meet 2030 maritime targets

Published: Jul 31, 2026

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 31, 2026: INDIA is accelerating investments across ports, inland waterways and shipbuilding as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) advances its roadmap towards Viksit Bharat 2047, with a sharp focus on capacity creation, private investment, digitisation and maritime manufacturing.

Chairing a high-level review of the Ministry's Viksit Bharat targets, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal directed officials to accelerate implementation of flagship projects while maintaining strict adherence to timelines. Sonowal urged officials across the Ministry, major ports and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to work with a unified approach to achieve India's long-term maritime ambitions.

The review comes as the Ministry reports significant progress across multiple performance indicators. India has consolidated its position as the world's largest ship recycling nation, while inland waterways cargo has already crossed 200 million tonnes, achieving the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 target several years ahead of schedule.

"These achievements demonstrate what India can accomplish when policy, execution and teamwork move together. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the maritime sector has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of India's economic transformation. We must continue to work with the same sense of purpose, uphold the Prime Minister's mantra of 'Speed and Scale', and ensure that every milestone under 'Viksit Bharat 2047' is delivered on time," Sarbananda Sonowal said.

The Minister also called on officials to strengthen institutional resilience by incorporating lessons from global disruptions into future planning."The evolving geopolitical situation has shown that resilience is as important as growth. Every challenge offers an opportunity to build stronger systems, enhance capacity and prepare India for the future. Our planning must anticipate global uncertainties while keeping India's growth trajectory firmly on course," Sonowal said.

700 MTPA Capacity Addition by 2030

The Ministry is pursuing one of the country's largest maritime infrastructure expansion programmes, targeting more than 700 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of additional port capacity by 2030. Among the flagship projects are the Vadhavan Port, which will add 164 MTPA of capacity by 2030-31, the Tuticorin Outer Harbour project with 39 MTPA, and the Kandla Tuna Tekra Terminal, expected to contribute 33 MTPA by 2027-28.

Overall, the Ministry plans to create an additional 682 MTPA of capacity by 2030 through a combination of new infrastructure, mechanisation and private investment. This includes 306 MTPA at major ports, 193 MTPA at key non-major ports and another 183 MTPA through mechanisation, operational efficiency improvements, public-private partnerships and capacity augmentation at emerging non-major ports.

Mechanisation, PPP to Drive Efficiency

The Ministry aims to increase cargo handling mechanisation across ports from 76% in FY 2025-26 to 93% by 2030, significantly improving operational efficiency and reducing turnaround time. Private sector participation is also expected to expand substantially. Cargo handled through public-private partnership (PPP) projects is projected to rise from 44% in 2013-14 to 85% by 2030-31, reflecting the Government's continued emphasis on private capital and operational expertise in port development. The Ministry has also set a target of achieving 100% digitisation across the maritime sector by 2030, with integrated digital platforms expected to improve logistics efficiency, transparency and service delivery.

Shipbuilding Push Gains Momentum

India's shipbuilding sector also recorded strong momentum during the review period. Domestic shipbuilding output increased 41%, rising from 40,923 gross tonnes (GT) in 2024 to 57,637 GT in 2025. To support long-term manufacturing growth, the Government has granted in-principle approvals for greenfield shipbuilding clusters in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, each with a planned capacity of 1.2 million GT. Similar approvals for Maharashtra and Odisha are expected by August-September 2026.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed with HD Hyundai-KSOE for developing a shipbuilding cluster in Tamil Nadu, while extending 100% financial support for common maritime infrastructure required for these industrial ecosystems. The review noted a sharp improvement in the value of vessels being built domestically. The average contract value per vessel has increased more than fivefold to Rs.212 crore, compared with Rs.41 crore previously, indicating India's growing capability to manufacture larger and technologically advanced ships.

The Union Minister underlined the Ministry's roadmap under Viksit Bharat 2047 to position India among the world's leading maritime economies by strengthening infrastructure, expanding logistics capacity, boosting domestic manufacturing and enhancing global competitiveness.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES

taxindiaonline
taxindiainternational
tioltube
TKF
TIOLawards
A TIOL Website. Copyright © 2025 TIOLcorplaws.com All rights reserved.