Sonowal inaugurates NTCWPC at IIT Madras
2 min read . Updated: 24 Apr 2023, 07:38 PM IST
Premium- This centre aims at enabling research & development for the marine sector enabling solutions towards achieving the ultimate goal of building a robust marine industry in the country, ministry of ports, shipping and waterways said
NEW DELHI : Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday inaugurated the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCWPC), IIT Madras – Discovery Campus at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Under the Sagarmala Programme, NTCWPC has been established at IIT Chennai at the cost of ₹77 crore to act as the R&D centre to create solutions towards enabling marine sector in India.
“This centre aims at enabling Research & development for the marine sector enabling solutions towards achieving the ultimate goal of building a robust marine industry in the country," the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said.
This state-of-the-art centre will ensure advancement in the field of maritime technology, as well as modernisation & upgradation possibilities in the port & operations towards achieving the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047, it added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said, “With the inauguration of this state-of-the-art centre dedicated towards research and development of technological solutions to enable growth of marine sector, we move closer to achieving the vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji to make India an atmanirbhar country. The role of marine sector is supreme in the nation building. As we continue to embark on our journey to improve our performance, such centres will play a pivotal role in this regard.“
“We believe that our rich & talented pool of engineers & scientists will provide cutting edge modern solutions able to deal with dynamic challenges of the marine sector. By developing a multi modal system of logistics movement, the vision of Prime Minister Modi ji to empower our logistics sector to become efficient yet cost effective through PM National Gate Shakti has received a tremendous shot in the arm with the launch of this centre. Our Sagarmala programme has been designed to bring in transformation in the existing system to become modern, world class ports and power the engine of growth of India," he added.
The minister also assured that this facility would be expanded to include more World Class Lab Facilities and Innovation Hubs to support Maritime Start-Ups.
To advance the Sagarmala Programme’s objectives, NTCPWC will deal in applied research while analyzing and fostering port and maritime industry activities. Major Ports including Deendayal Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Paradeep Port, Chennai Port, Kamarajar Port, VOC port, New Mangalore Port, Visakhapatnam Port have contributed generously toward creation of the institute. Significant contributions have also been provided by Inland Waterways Authority of India. The SMP Kolkata, Mormugao port and Cochin port have also partnered in this activity by providing major case study centers.
According to the ministry, this technology centre will also reduce the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector.
“This centre shall provide effective solutions to an extensive range of problems being faced in the industry through scientific support and also providing valuable education, applied research and technology transfer in maritime transportation at the local, regional, national and International levels," it added.