Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has told the Rajya Sabha, in written replies, that port capacity has reached 2,818 against a target of 3,500 under Maritime India Vision 2030. Port cargo has risen to 1,668 from 972 in 2013-14, and cargo on National Waterways to 218 million metric tonnes (MMT) from 18 MMT in 2013-14. The ministry also said no Major Port has been privatised.
The Sagarmala programme is a central sector scheme of the ministry. It gives financial assistance to State and UT governments, Major Ports and other agencies under five pillars: port modernization, port connectivity, port-led industrialization, coastal community development, and coastal shipping and inland water transport.
According to the ministry, 79 projects costing ₹5,374.5 crore have been completed, with a ministry share of ₹1,799.07 crore, of which ₹1,764.26 crore has been released. Another 54 projects costing ₹4,538.2 crore are under implementation, with a ministry share of ₹2,346.43 crore and ₹1,306.12 crore released. Maharashtra has 21 completed projects, Tamil Nadu 16 and Goa 10.
Budget allocation and utilisation under the scheme were ₹413 crore and ₹412 crore in 2022-23, ₹368 crore and ₹349 crore in 2023-24, ₹459 crore and ₹424 crore in 2024-25, and ₹463 crore and ₹449 crore in 2025-26.
Capacity at Major Ports rose from 1,617.39 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 1,728.4 million tonnes in 2025-26. Average turnaround time at Major Ports fell from 51.48 hours to 47.25 hours (provisional) over the same period.
On other targets the gap remains wide. The share of Major Ports cargo handled through public-private partnership (PPP) is 66% against a target of 85%. The renewable energy share at Major Ports is 28% against 60%, and cruise calls are 224 against 1,000. Port cargo throughput of 1,668 MMT compares with a 2030 target of 2,200. Operational National Waterways number 32 against a target of 16, and inland water transport throughput of 218.24 million tonnes already exceeds the 200 million tonne target.
The ministry also cited the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index 2025, which places three Indian ports, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Mundra and Pipavav, among the top 30 globally. India ranks first in ship recycling.
Of the twelve Major Ports, eleven are governed by the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021. Kamarajar Port is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chennai Port Authority, incorporated under the Companies Act. The ministry said ownership of land and core assets stays with the Port Authority or the Government of India.
Major Ports provide common infrastructure and regulatory oversight, while specified berths and terminals are developed and operated by the Port Authority or through PPP or the Captive Policy, 2016. All PPP projects are awarded through open competitive bidding under the Landlord port model and Model Concession Agreement, a standardised contract. Chennai and Cochin have had no PPP terminals in the last ten years.
Revenue of Major Ports rose from ₹17,671.49 crore in FY 2021-22 to ₹26,582.77 crore in FY 2025-26 (provisional, unaudited).
Budget allocation and expenditure under the Jal Marg Vikas Project and other National Waterways projects was ₹514.77 crore in 2022-23, ₹969.63 crore in 2023-24, ₹1,083.70 crore in 2024-25 and ₹1,074.48 crore in 2025-26 (unaudited). On NW-1 the infrastructure includes 66 community jetties, 20 floating terminals and a new Farakka navigation lock. NW-2 has terminals at Bogibeel and Dhubri, and NW-3 in Kerala has 9 permanent terminals.
The ministry, with the Railways and Road Transport and Highways ministries, has identified 294 rail and road connectivity projects. Of these, 84 are complete, 66 are under implementation and 144 are at the planning stage.
At 2014 prices, the ministry said, freight cost is ₹1.06 per tonne-km for inland water transport, ₹1.36 for rail and ₹2.50 for road. Greenhouse gas emission rates are 0.0006 for waterways, 0.0031 for road and 0.0006 for rail.
The laws listed are the Merchant Shipping Act, Coastal Shipping Act, Indian Ports Act, Bills of Lading Act and Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, all of 2025. The government has also approved a ₹69,725 crore shipbuilding package covering domestic capacity, maritime financing, shipyard development, skilling and reforms.
Union Budget 2026-27 announced a Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme to raise the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping from 6% to 12% by 2047.
The Maritime Single Window (Sagar Setu) is integrated with the Railways' Freight Operations Information System, the Unified Logistics Interface Platform and the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway. The Inland Waterways Authority of India runs the CAR-D portal for cargo and cruise data. Green measures include the HaritSagar Green Port Guidelines. In the Indian Ocean Region, the ministry said, India's partnerships follow the Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).
With reference to the ownership and operation of Major Ports in India, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Maritime India Vision 2030 indicator : Position reported in the article
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The Sagarmala programme is a central sector scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways that gives financial assistance to State and UT governments, Major Ports and other agencies.
Statement-II: Sagarmala funds are provided under five pillars, including port modernization, port connectivity, port-led industrialization, coastal community development, and coastal shipping and inland water transport.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
