New Delhi, Feb 27
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched new projects to improve India’s ports, make trade easier, and support sustainable shipping. These steps aim to modernize India’s maritime sector and help businesses grow.
A new system called ‘One Nation-One Port Process’ (ONOP) will make all Indian ports work in the same way. This will help reduce paperwork, cut extra costs, and make trade faster. Earlier, ports used 143 documents for container operations, now it’s only 96. For bulk cargo, documents were reduced from 150 to 106.
The government introduced Sagar Ankalan – Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) to measure how well ports are working. This will help India’s ports become faster, more efficient, and compete better globally.
A new Bharat Global Ports Consortium will strengthen India’s international trade and supply chain. It will help boost the Make in India initiative by making exports easier and faster.
A new app called MAITRI (Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface) was launched. It will use AI and Blockchain to speed up trade processes and reduce unnecessary delays. It will also help create a ‘Virtual Trade Corridor’ between India and the UAE, making international trade smoother.
The government announced India Maritime Week from October 27-31, 2025, in Mumbai. This event will highlight India’s maritime history (Maritime Virasat) and future growth (Maritime Vikaas). More than 100 countries and 100,000 delegates are expected to join.
To support Indian shipyards, the government will provide ₹25,000 crore as financial aid. They are also promoting eco-friendly shipping by launching a National Centre of Excellence in Green Port and Shipping to develop cleaner and greener port operations.
These new initiatives will make India’s ports faster, trade smoother, and shipping more advanced. The goal is to make India a global leader in maritime trade and shipbuilding, creating more jobs, boosting exports, and improving the economy.
(Source: PIB)
