Latest news with #JalMargVikasProject
India Gazette
12 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
India now has 111 national waterways, up from 5 under UPA: Union Minister Sonowal
Patna (Bihar) [India], June 16 (ANI): Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said on Monday that the number of national waterways in India has increased to 111 under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, compared to just five during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. 'Out of the 111 national waterways, 29 are currently operational,' Sonowal said while addressing an event organised under the Jal Marg Vikas Project in Bihar's Patna. He noted that the emergence of national waterways has benefited several states and helped boost the local economy, benefiting farmers, youth and small traders. 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi over the past 11 years, we have witnessed a remarkable transformation in the waterways sector. During the UPA regime, the national waterways were limited to just five, and thanks to the right decision-making of the Prime Minister, we expanded this to 111 national waterways, and 29 of them are operational. This development has benefitted every state, especially farmers, youth and small traders, by strengthening local economies,' Sonowal said. Speaking about the ministry's efforts to develop Patna as a major waterways hub, the Union Minister said they were taking immediate action on the Bihar government's appeal. 'We are taking immediate action based on the Bihar government's appeal, particularly for Patna to be developed as a waterways hub, which requires vessel repair and green water transport, including electric ferries and water metro,' he said. He stated that a task force comprising representatives from the Bihar government and the Shipping Ministry would plan the necessary interventions to develop Patna as a waterways hub, which would benefit farmers and students. Sonowal said it will also help promote river cruises along the 500 km of the Ganga river, which would highlight the culture of Bihar. 'We will form a Task Force comprising representatives from the Ministry of Shipping and the Bihar government to study and plan the necessary interventions, including setting up a vessel repair facility in Patna. This will focus on supporting farmers, students and small traders, promoting river cruises to highlight Bihar's rich history and culture, developing state-of-the-art terminals and infrastructure along the 500 km Ganga river that flows through Bihar,' he added. (ANI)
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Patna to be developed as river cruise hub: Minister
1 2 Patna: A ship repair centre will be established in Patna and 16 community jetties will be developed across Bihar, Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced on Monday. He was speaking at the first-ever workshop on national waterways held in Patna. Sonowal said a dedicated task force would be constituted within a month to explore the potential of inland waterways in the state. "A shipbuilding centre will also be set up and water metro projects will be launched in Bihar. Kalu Ghat in Saran will be developed into a state-of-the-art waterways centre," he said. The workshop, organised by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), was attended by representatives from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Union minister Giriraj Singh and Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary were also present, along with stakeholders from the cargo and cruise industries. Highlighting the Centre's commitment to boosting riverine transport, Sonowal said, "New projects will come up in 12 districts situated along the Ganga. A special task force will be formed to identify opportunities for inland waterways." This announcement followed a request by deputy CM Choudhary to introduce a Patna Water Metro service to promote water transport and river tourism. "The earlier govts neglected inland water projects, but the Modi govt has accelerated their development by investing more than Rs 6,000 crore. As a result, the department has recorded a 700% progress so far. By 2029, India will become the third-largest economy in the world and Bihar will play an important role in this journey," Sonowal added. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said, "The connectivity and industries in districts along the Ganga will give a new dimension to employment, tourism, and trade in Bihar," he said, adding that the state govt has already allocated land for ship and cruise repair facilities. The deputy CM also demanded the construction of a multimodal terminal in Bhagalpur. He said Bihar has also received PM Modi's support in flood control and development of irrigation facilities. He said the Nitish govt has done so much work on flood control that now there is no severe flood even if 6 lakh cusecs of water come from Nepal. Choudhary called for speedy implementation of the intermodal terminal at Kalu Ghat (Saran), 21 community jetties and a quick pontoon opening mechanism (QPOM) at Ara. He also stressed the need for ship repair facilities in Patna under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) and National Waterway 1 (NW-1), covering the 1,620km stretch of the Ganga from Haldia to Varanasi. He added that two Ro-Pax passenger vessels of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation had been deployed to explore river tourism opportunities in the state.
Fibre2Fashion
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
India to operationalise 76 waterways by 2027, targets cargo surge
India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has announced plans to make 76 inland waterways operational by 2027 during a Consultative Committee meeting held in Mumbai. Cargo volumes through these routes are expected to increase by 156 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by the end of fiscal 2026 (FY26). The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the nodal agency under the ministry, presented a comprehensive review of major projects, future projections, and the roadmap ahead. India aims to make 76 inland waterways operational by 2027, with cargo volumes expected to rise by 156 MTPA by FY26. Key initiatives include the Jal Marg Vikas Project, Maritime India Vision 2030, and a ₹5,000 crore (~$586.27 million) Northeast development roadmap. Major terminals and corridors are being developed on NW-1, NW-2, NW-16, and NW-31 to boost economic activity and transport efficiency. 'Inland waterways are emerging as the watershed moment in India ' s logistics and transport ecosystem. We are witnessing a transformational shift with policy interventions like the National Waterways Act, 2016, the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 and supplemented by multiple programmes like Jal Marg Vikas Project, Arth Ganga, Jalvahak scheme, Jal Samriddhi scheme, Jalyan and Navic among others. Through Maritime India Vision 2030 and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047,' Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal said in a press release. 'These roadmaps are not just policy documents—they are catalysts driving India toward becoming a global maritime powerhouse. Today ' s meeting with esteemed Members of Parliament reflects a unified commitment to boost infrastructure and unlock the immense economic potential of our rivers and coasts. With enhanced budgetary support and cooperative federalism, we are building a greener, more efficient, and future-ready waterway network across the country,' added Sonowal. The Regional Waterways Grid is designed to enhance economic activity by enabling seamless vessel movement along a 4,067 km corridor connecting Varanasi to Dibrugarh, Karimganj, and Badarpur via the IBP route. A traffic study and detailed project report (DPR) for the renovation of the Jangipur navigation lock are currently underway. The corridor is projected to handle cargo volumes of 32.2 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) by 2033. On National Waterway 1 (Ganga), a 1,390 km dedicated corridor is under development to facilitate smooth vessel movement and improve the efficiency of inland water transport. The capacity enhancement of NW-1 aims to support vessels of 1,500–2,000 DWT, alongside the establishment of key cargo terminals at Varanasi (MMT), Kalughat (IMT), Sahibganj (MMT), and Haldia (MMT). The Inland Waterways sector is also undertaking major infrastructure initiatives in the Northeast. A ₹5,000 crore (~$586.27 million) development roadmap has been laid out for the next five years. On NW-2 (Brahmaputra), four permanent terminals—Dhubri, Jogighopa, Pandu, and Bogibeel—and 13 floating terminals are being supported through fairway and navigation improvements. A ₹208 crore ship repair facility at Pandu and a ₹180 crore alternative road are slated for completion by 2026 and 2025, respectively. On NW-16 (Barak), the terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur are operational, while development of NW-31 (Dhansiri) is underway to support the expansion of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL). Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
PRAGATI meeting: PM Modi reviews 8 projects worth Rs 90,000 crore
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reviewed eight development projects spread across the country and costing around Rs 90,000 crore as he chaired the 46th edition of PRAGATI meeting . During the meeting, Modi also reviewed grievance redressal related to Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and directed that all ministries and departments should ensure that the identification of beneficiaries is done strictly through biometrics-based Aadhaar authentication or verification, an official statement is a multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving the Centre and state to the statement, the eight significant projects included three road projects, two projects each of railways and port, shipping and also directed to explore the potential for integrating additional programmes into the PM Matru Vandana Yojana, specifically those aimed at promoting child care, improving health and hygiene practices, ensuring cleanliness, and addressing other related aspects that contribute to the overall well-being of the mother and newly born the review of an infrastructure project concerning the development of a ring road, Modi emphasised that the development of ring road should be integrated as a key component of broader urban planning development must be approached holistically, ensuring that it aligns with and supports the city's growth trajectory over the next 25 to 30 years, he also called for exploring the possibility of integrating a circular rail network within the city's transport infrastructure as a complementary and sustainable alternative for public the review of the Jal Marg Vikas Project , Modi said that efforts should be made to establish a strong community connect along the stretches for boosting cruise will foster a vibrant local ecosystem by creating opportunities for business development, particularly for artisans and entrepreneurs associated with the 'One District One Product' (ODOP) initiative and other local crafts, the statement stressed that such inland waterways should be drivers for tourism far, 370 projects having a total cost of around Rs 20 lakh crore have been reviewed in the PRAGATI meetings.
