Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways has chaired the meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.
What is the ‘National Sagarmala Apex Committee’?
- The National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) is the apex body providing policy directions and guidance for port led development-Sagarmala projects and reviews its implementation.
- The NSAC was constituted on 13.05.2015 by the Union Cabinet and is chaired by Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways with Cabinet Ministers from stakeholder central Ministries and Chief Ministers & Administrators of Maritime States and Union territories respectively as members.
- The committee shall review the Sagarmala program.
- Holistic development of coastal communities through a new initiative ‘Sagartat Samriddhi Yojana’ has been taken up for discussion in the meeting.
About the Sagarmala Programme –
- Sagarmala is a National Programme to accelerate economic development in the country by harnessing the potential of India’s 7,500 km long coastline and 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways.
- It was announced by the Prime Minister in 2014 and approved by the Union Cabinet on 25th March 2015.
- It holds a vision to reduce logistics cost for both domestic and EXIM cargo with optimal infrastructure investment.
- The projects under the scheme have been categorised into five pillars –
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- Port modernisation & new port development,
- Port connectivity enhancement,
- Port-led industrialisation,
- Coastal community development and
- Coastal shipping and Inland water transport
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