Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), outlining a reform-driven roadmap to accelerate India’s maritime transformation in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
The meeting focused on strengthening governance, improving ease of doing business, enhancing digital integration, ensuring effective grievance redressal and implementing key maritime initiatives through a structured and accountable institutional mechanism.
During the meeting, Sonowal announced that the ministry will organise a nationwide “Maritime Reform Utsav” to commemorate 12 years of reforms and growth in the maritime sector under the Narendra Modi government. The initiative will showcase achievements in ports, shipping, inland waterways, coastal infrastructure, green shipping, digitalisation and maritime connectivity.
“Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, India’s maritime sector has undergone unprecedented transformation through the mantra of ‘Reform, Perform, Transform and Inform’. The Maritime Reform Utsav will celebrate the journey of India becoming a modern, efficient and globally competitive maritime power,” Sonowal said.
The Union Minister directed officials to establish a time-bound mechanism for the expeditious disposal of grievances, court cases, legal matters and other pending ministry-related issues. A dedicated monitoring and coordination committee will be constituted to ensure accountability and timely resolution of pending matters.
Emphasising citizen-centric governance, Sonowal said grievance redressal systems should focus not only on procedural disposal but also on actual ground-level resolution. He instructed departments to strengthen monitoring frameworks and ensure effective follow-up on public representations and stakeholder concerns.
In a major push towards digital governance, the ministry also decided to develop an integrated digital platform and mobile application under the Directorate General of Shipping. The proposed system will offer real-time service delivery, digital documentation, grievance redressal and integrated maritime services through a unified digital ecosystem.
The meeting also resolved to undertake a comprehensive review and gap analysis of the progress achieved in the maritime sector over the past 12 years. The exercise will assess ongoing reforms and infrastructure development in alignment with the national vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047” while identifying priority areas requiring accelerated policy intervention and institutional strengthening.
Sonowal stressed the need for stronger coordination among ministries, state governments, port authorities, maritime institutions and industry stakeholders to ensure faster decision-making and smoother implementation of major maritime and logistics projects.
Highlighting the importance of technology-driven governance, the minister directed officials to accelerate the integration of Artificial Intelligence, digital systems and data-driven monitoring mechanisms across the maritime sector to improve operational efficiency, transparency and service delivery.
He also emphasised the importance of strengthening skill development, capacity-building initiatives and specialised maritime training programmes to prepare the workforce for emerging technologies and future sectoral requirements.
The minister further instructed officials to strengthen stakeholder outreach and public communication efforts through digital campaigns, short videos, graphics, reels and awareness programmes to connect with wider audiences, especially the youth.
“India’s maritime transformation under the dynamic leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji must reach the people. Our reforms, opportunities and achievements should be communicated effectively through both traditional and digital platforms so that young Indians see the maritime sector as a dynamic avenue for nation-building and employment generation,” Sonowal said.
The meeting also decided to constitute a dedicated monitoring and coordination committee to review and implement the outcomes and strategic initiatives arising from the Prime Minister’s recent five-day, five-nation visit, ensuring inter-agency coordination and adherence to timelines.
Reiterating the ministry’s commitment to governance reforms, Sonowal said the MoPSW would continue to function with a proactive, accountable and reform-oriented work culture aligned with the vision of good governance, maritime growth and inclusive national development.
