The Goa-Mumbai ferry service will begin operations next month, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.
The Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation made the announcement at a press briefing after a mid-review meeting of major ports here.
Representatives of all 12 major ports and Cochin Shipyard Limited, Shipping Corporation of India, Dredging Corporation of India, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, Inland Waterways Authority of India, DG Shipping, Tariff Authority for Major Ports, Indian Port Rail Corporation Ltd and Indian Ports Association attended the meeting.
The Minister said that the Sagar Mala project, which aims at promoting port-led development, will create 10 million jobs, including four million direct jobs. As many as 289 projects worth ₹2.17 lakh crore were in various stages of implementation under the project, he said.
Under the Sagar Mala budget for 2017-18, funds of ₹601 crore have been released for 46 projects.
As part of the review meeting, a session with public-private partnership operators and other stakeholders was held for the first time to get feedback, fast-track implementation of projects, and to resume work on stalled projects.
A Centre of Excellence will be established in IIT Chennai to provide technical support for the Ministry of Shipping, Mr. Gadkari said.
The Ministry will provide a grant of ₹75 to ₹100 crore for the centre. IIT Chennai will study the maintenance dredging requirements at all ports to prepare a common dredging schedule across ports to cut costs.