The Sagarmala Programme, spearheaded by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is driving port-led development by leveraging India’s 7,500 km coastline, 14,500 km of navigable waterways, and strategic maritime location. The initiative focuses on five key pillars: port modernisation, port connectivity, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development, and coastal & inland water transport.

A total of 839 projects valued at Rs 5.79 lakh crore have been identified under the programme. Of these, 272 projects worth Rs 1.41 lakh crore have been successfully completed. Notably, under the modernisation pillar, 103 projects have been completed, adding 528 million tonnes per annum to India’s port capacity.

A major highlight of the programme is its Coastal Community Development initiative, aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of coastal populations through skill development, capacity building, and access to sustainable economic opportunities. A comprehensive skill gap study was conducted across 21 coastal districts in 9 states and 3 Union Territories, including Odisha and Tamil Nadu.

To further this initiative, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) signed an MoU in May 2017 under the DDU-GKY Sagarmala Convergence Programme. Phase I of this programme, implemented from 2016 to 2018 across five states—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu—trained 2,079 candidates, of whom 1,243 were successfully placed.

This information was shared by Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, highlighting the continued progress of the Sagarmala Programme in boosting India's maritime economy and community development