The maritime sector has come of age, and become “competent enough to handle any kind of situation”, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal announced at the Sagarmala Convention on Monday evening at Visakhapatnam.
Hailing Andhra Pradesh as a key player in India’s shipbuilding aspirations, the Union Minister addressed the maritime stakeholders and public as part of the Visakhapatnam Port Authority’s event, which saw the laying of the foundation stone of various projects.
The latest line of projects flagged off included two 120-ton Harbour Mobile Cranes (HMCs) to lift the port capacity by 3 MMTPA; a Rs 37.53 crore Smart Video Surveillance Project with AI/ML-based video analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) tech, and an Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC); and a Digital Health Card System for employees, pensioners, and dependents.
India to become leading shipbuilding nation
“We are trying to position ourselves as one of the leading shipbuilding nations in the world,” said the Union Minister, before outlining the various initiatives that are already in place. He highlighted how the Centre aims to create a strong shipbuilding and maritime ecosystem in all of the coastal states of India.
“We want to create that kind of ecosystem out of which we can be self-reliant…”, Sonowal echoed the ethos of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Sonowal also hailed Visakhapatnam’s reputation of being a “city where women are highly respected and protected.”
“This is a reflection of a civilised society, advanced society, developed society, cultured society,” he added.
