₹67.77 Cr Projects Inaugurated to Boost Maritime Education
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, inaugurated 26 projects worth ₹67.77 crore across six Indian Maritime University (IMU) campuses, strengthening maritime education and promoting gender inclusion.
The minister also laid the foundation stone for a ₹13.11 crore Girls’ Hostel-cum-Library at IMU Kochi, enhancing residential facilities for female students. Key infrastructure upgrades across IMU campuses in Chennai, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Port, and Visakhapatnam include advanced simulators, solar power plants, and improved sports and hostel facilities.
Sonowal emphasized flagship initiatives like Maritime India Vision 2030, the Sagarmala Programme, and Maritime Amritkaal Vision 2047, highlighting the doubling of cargo-handling capacity at major ports between 2014-15 and 2023-24.
Highlighting India’s Maritime sector’s growth, the Union Minister said, “Nine Indian ports are now ranked among the top 100 globally”. He also emphasised the rise in maritime employment, stating that the number of Indian seafarers increased by 170% in the past decade — from 1.17 lakh in 2014 to over 3.17 lakh in 2024. “Our target is to reach five lakh active seafarers by 2030, and we are firmly on that path,” Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said.
The Union Minister further hailed the progress made in women’s participation in maritime careers, noting a 700% increase in women seafarers—from 1,699 in 2014 to 13,756 in 2024. “This foundation stone for the Girls’ Hostel at IMU Kochi is a step forward in promoting gender equity in the maritime sector. ‘Nari Shakti’ and ‘Yuva Shakti’ 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 ‘Viksit Bharat’,” Shri Sonowal said, adding that the IMU actively supports women students through scholarships offered by corporate houses and government agencies.
