Key maritime proposals include developing new inland waterways, promoting indigenous seaplanes for last-mile access, and establishing ship-repair hubs to support this growth

Key maritime proposals include developing new inland waterways, promoting indigenous seaplanes for last-mile access, and establishing ship-repair hubs to support this growth

Key maritime proposals include developing new inland waterways, promoting indigenous seaplanes for last-mile access, and establishing ship-repair hubs to support this growth

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Parliament on Sunday, February 1, the maritime sector was greeted with a slew of major updates.

What began as a cargo-heavy announcement for setting up dedicated freight corridors shifted its focus to inland waterways and, even, seaplanes. 

To promote environmentally sustainable movement of cargo, Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to:

1. Establish new freight corridors connecting Dhankuni in the East to Surat in the West

2. Operationalise 20 new waterways over the next 5 years, starting with NW-5 in Odisha to connect mineral-rich areas and industrial areas to ports like Paradip and Damra.

3. Set up training centres for the training required manpower for the inland waterways. "This will benefit the youth in the entire stretch of the waterways," said Sitharaman. 

4. Establish a ship-repair ecosystem catering to inland waterways at Varanasi and Patna

5. Launch a coastal cargo promotion scheme for incentivising a modal shift from rail to road to increase the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047.

6. Promote indigenous manufacturing of sea-planes to enhance last-mile and remote connectivity, and promote tourism. 

TAGS