Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated 26 projects worth \u20b967.77 crore across six Indian Maritime University (IMU) campuses nationwide, marking a significant push toward strengthening maritime education and empowering women in the sector. The ceremony also included the foundation stone laying for a Girls\u2019 Hostel-cum=Library building at IMU\u2019s Kochi campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calling the event a \u201cvery special occasion,\u201d the Union Minister said it reflected the Government\u2019s collective commitment to transform maritime education. \u201cThe maritime sector is the backbone of global trade and economic growth. Under the visionary leadership of Hon\u2019ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, India is making rapid strides to emerge as a global maritime powerhouse. These 17 projects mark a significant step in our mission to strengthen India\u2019s maritime education landscape. With modern infrastructure and advanced facilities, we are enabling students to excel and meet global maritime standards,\u201d Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shri Sonowal inaugurated 17 key infrastructure projects across IMU campuses in Chennai, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Port, and Visakhapatnam, including advanced simulators, solar power plants, improved sports facilities, and hostel upgrades\u2014aimed at enriching academic and campus life. The \u20b913.11 crore Girls\u2019 Hostel at IMU Kochi will enhance residential facilities for female students, reinforcing Government\u2019s commitment to gender inclusion in maritime education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted flagship initiatives like the Maritime India Vision 2030, the Sagarmala Programme, and the \u2018Maritime Amritkaal Vision 2047\u2019, describing them as central to modernising ports and developing sustainable infrastructure. He pointed out that between 2014-15 and 2023-24, India\u2019s major ports doubled their cargo-handling capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highlighting India\u2019s Maritime sector\u2019s growth, the Union Minister said, \u201cNine Indian ports are now ranked among the top 100 globally\u201d. He also emphasised the rise in maritime employment, stating that the number of Indian seafarers increased by 170% in the past decade \u2014 from 1.17 lakh in 2014 to over 3.17 lakh in 2024. \u201cOur target is to reach five lakh active seafarers by 2030, and we are firmly on that path,\u201d Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Union Minister further hailed the progress made in women\u2019s participation in maritime careers, noting a 700% increase in women seafarers\u2014from 1,699 in 2014 to 13,756 in 2024. \u201cThis foundation stone for the Girls\u2019 Hostel at IMU Kochi is a step forward in promoting gender equity in the maritime sector. \u2018Nari Shakti\u2019 and \u2018Yuva Shakti\u2019 are the backbone of our nation as well as for our aspiration to become a global maritime major. Their active role as nation builders will propel our country to become \u2018Viksit Bharat\u2019,\u201d Shri Sonowal said, adding that the IMU actively supports women students through scholarships offered by corporate houses and government agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indian Maritime University (IMU) also received praise from the Minister for expanding its footprint and contributions to workforce development. \u201cWith a current enrolment of 7,156 students and over 21,000 alumni since its inception in 2008, IMU has seen an 80% rise in admissions over the past decade. With our rich talent pool, our endeavour to become a global maritime nation is going to be a reality soon. This is very inspiring towards realisation of Atmanirbhar Bharat \u2014 the vision of PM Narendra Modi ji,\u201d the Union Minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the newly inaugurated projects are flood mitigation structures, RFID-enabled libraries, solar power installations, and simulators at multiple campuses. These upgrades aim to provide students with a holistic, environmentally sustainable, and technologically advanced learning environment. \u201cThe future of global shipping lies in automation, Artificial Intelligence, and green technologies. IMU must incorporate these innovations into its curriculum to prepare our youth for a rapidly evolving industry,\u201d suggested Shri Sonowal, during the event at IMU. He further urged IMU to integrate emerging domains such as shipbuilding, ship recycling, inland water transport, and advanced sailing technologies like hydrofoils into its training programmes. \u201cWe want a dedicated, professional human resource base to drive India\u2019s maritime ecosystem forward. IMU must lead this transformation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Union Minister also commended the faculty and staff of IMU for their unwavering commitment. \u201cYour efforts are invaluable in shaping the future of India\u2019s maritime sector and ensuring we remain at the forefront of global maritime education,\u201d the Union Minister said. In a message to students, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, \u201cYou are the future of India\u2019s maritime vision. The knowledge and skills you gain here will not only shape your careers but also contribute to the growth and prosperity of the nation. With the guidance and experience of our educators, combined with the passion and dedication of our youth, India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, is on course to become a leading global maritime power by 2030,\u201d said Sarbananda Sonowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressing hope that the newly inaugurated infrastructure would catalyse further excellence in training, research, and industry collaboration, the Union Minister concluded, saying, \u201cthis is just the beginning, may this milestone lead to many more achievements for India\u2019s maritime sector\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ceremony was graced by the presence of several dignitaries, including Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Ernakulam, and Dr. Malini V. Shankar, Vice Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University (IMU). The event concluded with an engaging interactive session that brought together experts, faculty, and policymakers to explore the future of maritime education, innovations in seafarer training, and the development of sustainable infrastructure across IMU campuses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIndia Aims for 5 Lakh Seafarers by 2030, laying the anchor for India\u2019s Pursuance to be Top Global Maritime Nation\u201d: Sarbananda Sonowal \u201cNari Shakti and Yuva Shakti to Propel India Towards Viksit Bharat:\u201d Sarbananda Sonowal Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated 26 projects worth \u20b967.77 crore across six Indian …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":41996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[80],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-41995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india-news","tag-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41997,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41995\/revisions\/41997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41995"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=41995"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=41995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}