Shri Sarbananda Sonowal reviews Ease of Doing Business(EoDB) measures and Operational Efficiency Through Technology (OETT) of Major Ports and IWAI under PM Gati Shakti National Plan

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal today took a comprehensive review of initiatives taken by the various ports for facilitating Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Operational Efficiency Through Technology (OETT) to boost growth under PM Gati Shakti National Plan in presence of Union MoS Shri Shantanu Thakur and chairmen of all Major Ports, Inland Waterways Authority of India representatives and senior officials.

       The future roadmap of Major Ports to achieve world-class infrastructure and to lead the growth journey of India on the pillars of the ambitious PM Gati Shakti National Plan was discussed. PM Gati Shakti is driven by seven engines of growth – roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways and logistics, with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways set to play a major role in the realisation of the National Master Plan, a multi-modal connectivity masterplan launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to ensure seamless connectivity, economic growth and delivery of good governance to the citizens. The construction of a trans-shipment hub at Greater Nicobar was also part of the discussions.

       Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said, “Integrated efforts which are being taken by ports and others will add speed to development works around the country. PM Gati Shakti will help the people, farmers, fishing community and strengthen India’s economy. He also highlighted his recent visit to Patna and said ‘ IWAI ke sath yeh Nadi aur Sagar ka sahyog hai, Ganga Maa hai aur Brahmaputra Pita’.

       Shri Sonowal further urged the officials to put emphasis on promotion of Atma Nirbhar Bharat mission and skill development so that the youth of the country can be benefited.

       Union MoS Shri Shantanu Thakur said, “Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is committed towards PM Gati Shakti and today’s meeting is a step towards it.”

       Secretary Dr Sanjeev Ranjan spoke on multi-modal connectivity, highlighting the seven pillars of growth under PM Gati Shakti, Smart, Mega and Green Ports, EoDB and Maritime India Vision(MIV) 2030.

       In this day long meeting on PM Gati Shakti initiatives ,vehicle scrapping policy, implementation of MIV 2030, on going, completed and futuristic projects by Ports chairman were also discussed.

       All the senior officials assured that they will move forward on the directions given by the Minister so that economy can be boosted and more people can get its benefits.

       With an objective to make the Paradip Port the numero uno among Indian Major Ports and to make it a world class Port, Shri P.L. Haranadh, Chairman, Paradip Port made a vivid presentation about the current bottlenecks and the road ahead. Under High Impact PM Gati Shakti projects, currently construction of 2nd exit road cum flyover at Paradip as part of additional Port connectivity from National Highway is underway. A sum of Rs. 93 Crore is earmarked for this road-cum-flyover, which is 2.4 km long and 4-lane wide and will serve as an alternative entry/ exit option to/from the Port. The project is being implemented through IPRCL. In order to augment the port connectivity and overcome future challenges, over Rs 6600 Crs projects of road, rail and waterways have been proposed.

       Under Ease of Doing Business, PCS1x and e-office have been implemented at Port. Common cloud based EBS platform is under implementation. Several initiatives to achieve operational efficiency through technology were discussed. During the Amrit Kaal Shri Haranadh says, Paradip Port eyes for a massive Transformation to a Digital led Smart Port to become a Half Billion Capacity Port by 2047.