Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, on Monday chaired a high-level review meeting to lay out a reform-driven roadmap to accelerate India’s maritime transformation, in line with its larger goals under Viksit Bharat 2047.
The meeting conducted with senior MoPSW officials focused on strengthening governance, improving the ease of doing business (EoDB) and grievance redressal, and ensuring that key maritime initiatives are implemented in a proper, timely manner.
Maritime Reform Utsav
One of the key points at the meeting was the nationwide 'Maritime Reform Utsav' initiative to put a spotlight on the past 12 years of maritime reforms.
It will showcase India’s major achievements in ports, shipping, inland waterways, coastal infrastructure, green shipping, digitalisation, and maritime connectivity—and how these areas have contributed to India goals of becoming a global maritime superpower.
"India’s maritime sector has undergone unprecedented transformation through the mantra of ‘Reform, Perform, Transform and Inform’," Sonowal said at the meeting.
In that regard, a comprehensive review of India's maritime progress over the last 12 years will be conducted later, which will also identify policy gaps and priority areas requiring accelerated policy intervention, institutional strengthening and capacity enhancement.
Sonowal added that efforts should also be made to boost coordination between ministries, state governments, port authorities, maritime institutions and industry stakeholders.
Grievance redressal
MoPSW officials were instructed to establish a structured and time-bound mechanism to expedite grievance redessal, court cases, legal matters, and all maritime-related issues that were pending.
Pointing out that redressal systems should be focused on not only disposal, but also actual ground-level resolution, he ordered that a dedicated body be set up to conduct periodic reviews, ensure accountability and facilitate timely resolution of all pending matters.
Digital systems and AI
In a major push towards digital governance and the ease of doing business (EoDB), the shipping ministry has also decided to develop an integrated digital platform and mobile application under the aegis of the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS).
The proposed platform will integrate an enhanced stakeholder interface, real-time service delivery, digital documentation, grievance redressal and other maritime services within a unified digital ecosystem.
The review meeting also focused extensively on leveraging AI, digital systems and data-driven governance for improving operational efficiency, transparency and service delivery across the maritime sector.
Apart from instructions to accelerate tech integration and strengthen institutional data-sharing mechanisms for better monitoring and policy outcomes, Sonowal also called for better media outreach to connect with wider audiences, especially the youth.