Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday inaugurated a Multi Skill Development Centre (MSDC) for maritime logistics at JNPT which will provide placement to over 1,050 students every year in the port and shipping sector.

The key training areas at the centre are warehouse management, consignment and tracking, inventory management, EXIM trade documentation and other related courses in the maritime logistics domain.

The physical infrastructure has been provided by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and CIDCO and the centre will be managed and operated by logistics company AllCargo Logistics Ltd.

The MSDC at JNPT will meet the upcoming skill manpower need in the surrounding areas.

Three major projects -- namely, the SEZ which is supposed to be pre-dominantly be a logistics hub, the Navi Mumbai International Airport which would provide opportunities in fields as diverse as cargo handling and hospitality, and JNPT's new terminal the PSA Bharat Mumbai Terminal -- will see demand for highly skilled logistics manpower.

It is expected that the trainees trained in MSDC can provide skilled manpower for these projects and beyond, the shipping ministry said.

Gadkari also inaugurated two multi purpose berths at Deendayal Port at Kandla through video conferencing.

The minister also laid the foundation stone for the Central Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology at IIT Kharagpur.

Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said all the three developments were very significant for the maritime sector and the socio-economic development of the country.

He said the two shipping berths at Kandla will increase the port's capacity by over 115 lakh tonnes, adding that the larger ships will be able to anchor at the port, enabling handling of larger volumes of cargo.

"This will help lower logistics costs and bring prices down," the minister said.

Speaking about the state-of-the-art Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology being setup at IIT Kharagpur under Sagarmala programme, Gadkari said the project is of strategic long-term interest for the port and maritime sector.

He said the centre will be a hub for latest technology tools for maritime sector and reduce India's dependence on foreign institutions.

It will also reduce the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector, the minister said.

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