GMIS 2013 has generated Rs.15,200cr investment to date
To enable inland waterways as conduits of economic growth and commerce in the country, an investment Rs.45,000 crore for development of river cruise tourism in the country has been planned, according to an update received by Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal,
“Of this ambitious sum, an estimated Rs.35,000 crore has been earmarked for cruise vessels and another Rs.10,000 crore for development of cruise terminal infrastructure at the end of Amrit Kaal, i.e. by 2047,” said the Ministry http://shipmin.gov.in in a release on 25 June.
To boost inland waterways for cargo trade, an investment of Rs.15,200 crore has been received since the Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS) was held in Mumbai in October 2023 https://maritimeindiasummit.com/ .
“This is likely to register a growth rate of more than 400%, increasing the volume upto 500 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2047,” said the ministry https://www.ipa.nic.in/ .
With the Harit Nauka Guidelines, the MoPSW has put forth a strong commitment towards furthering passenger transport through waterways in an environment friendly and sustainable manner by promoting the adoption of low-emission fuel https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/ (CNG, LNG, electric, hydrogen, methanol) as propulsion fuel for inland vessel operations (Green Vessels) https://sagarmala.gov.in/ .
Sonowal was briefed about the status of the 111 National Waterways in the country and how inland waterways are emerging as a sustainable mode of transportation to complement roadways and railways https://www.ibef.org/ .
While interacting with senior officials of Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI), the Minister emphasized the need to develop national waterways across the country and to significantly increase passenger and freight movement on waterways https://www.nseindia.com/ .
He praised the efforts made to promote river cruise tourism in the country and recent initiatives such as the introduction of Hybrid Electric Catamaran vessels and the country’s first Hydrogen Vessel https://www.bseindia.com/ .
Additionally, Sonowal reviewed the progress of the World Bank-funded Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) on National Waterway (NW) 1 – River Ganga http://worldbank.org .
The Authority is enhancing waterways infrastructure by constructing Multi-Modal Terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia, and an Inter-Modal Terminal at Kalughat to facilitate freight movement and improve connectivity http://jica.go.jp .
IWAI http://iwai.nic.in/ is also installing community jetties to benefit communities residing along the banks of the river Ganga.
“MoPSW is committed towards developing a robust inland water transport system https://www.globaltenders.com/ . By enhancing India’s national waterways, MoPSW and IWAI together aims to boost economic growth and ensure efficient, sustainable transportation options for the nation with world-class infrastructure,” said Sonowal.
During the interaction at IWAI, the minister unveiled a five-year action plan for developing new national waterways, emphasizing river cruises through targeted campaigns and events to boost tourism http://hslvizag.in .
Collaboration with Northeastern Region (NER) states was highlighted, with a robust mechanism in place to ensure effective CSS project implementation http://goashipyard.in .
Addressing human resource issues, the minister discussed overcoming challenges in the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route and proposed innovative solutions for expediting Inland Water Transport (IWT) work in Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, leveraging technology and inter-state cooperation to enhance national infrastructure https://www.meed.com/latest/tenders .
Sonowal also assessed the interventions being made by the Authority to promote IWT activities in North Eastern Region especially NW 2, 16 and 31 i.e. Brahmaputra, Barak and Dhansiri rivers in Assam http://grse.in .
Initiatives to improve regional connectivity with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar were also evaluated https://www.wto.org/ .
New technological advancements by IWAI made to improve navigation were also showcased to the Union Minister. This included initiatives like PANI – Portal for Assets and Navigational Information, RIS – River Information System, CAR-D for collection and compilation, analyses and dissemination of cargo and cruise movement data and also future projects like Central Database and National River Traffic and Navigation System among others https://www.adb.org/ .
Notably the cargo movement on national waterways has increased to over 133 million tons recording a CAGR growth of 22.1% over a period of ten years from FY 2014 to FY 2024. IWAI aims to increase the modal share of freight movement through IWT from 2% to 5% and traffic volume to more than 200 MMT in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and more than 500 MMT by 2047 as per the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Fiinews.com