Ports can act as catalyst for India to achieve 10% growth, Amitabh Kant

The Dollar Business Bureau 

Ports can act as a catalyst for India to achieve a consistent growth rate of 10% per cent, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.

Addressing a workshop organised by the Ministry of Shipping under the Sagarmala programme on ‘Accelerating Sagarmala Implementation, Engaging with States’, Kant said that the Sagarmala programme is a game-changer. 

"Ports can act as the catalyst of growth and help in achieving 10 per cent consistent growth rate for the country, hence making Sagarmala programme the game-changer for the country’s development," Kant said. 

The main objective of the workshop was to enhance the engagement among the shipping ministry, other line ministries and various maritime states of India, an official statement said. 

Citing examples, he said success stories emerged from China, Korea, Japan and Singapore where the ports have led the country’s growth strategy. 

He added that there is a need for a conglomeration of all the stakeholders for proper execution and have an export-focused strategy. 

For India to increase its current growth rate of 7.6%, it is essential to penetrate the global markets which only ports can drive. Kant pointed out that land is not a challenge and all that is required is the optimum utilisation of available resources. 

For Indian goods to be at par with global markets, the logistics costs need to be reduced which will be possible if ports become manufacturing hubs, he added. He also reiterated the potential of cruise tourism in India and appealed to all coastal states to work towards promoting the same. 

The workshop was also attended by Principal Secretaries of the maritime states, Chairmen of ports and officials of the line ministries.