Indian Ports to Improve Operational Efficiency
Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that the decline observed in the performance of Major Ports from 2008 to 2014 has reversed and they have shown improvement in their performance in 2015.
Shri Gadkari said the profit margins of Major Ports declined from 43% to 28% during 2008 to 2014 and the market share of Major Ports during the period declined from 72% to 57%. Underlining that the development of ports is important for increasing the GDP of the country, the Minister said the focus of the present government is on modernization of Major Ports and increasing their operational efficiency.
He said with new initiatives the improvements have been registered in the performance of Major Ports with the volume of cargo handled increasing by 4.6% and revenue increasing by 8.7% in 2015.
The initiatives undertaken to improve efficiency of Major Ports include delegation of more powers to Major Ports, capital dredging to 18 meters through PPP mode in Mormugao Port, new scheme to assist ports to mitigate oil pollution, new scheme to set up coastal berths, passenger jetties etc, establishment of new company Indian Port Rail Corporation to focus on last mile connectivity, new company India Ports Global to take up projects abroad, Sagarmala project to promote port led development, equipments and technology upgradation, mechanization and initiatives for large vessel handling.
The Minister informed that the Major Ports will generate 200MW of green power which include 150MW solar power and 50 MW wind energy.
He said the port sector in India needs to adopt best international practices. Shri Gadkari informed that his priorities include treatment of waste water at ports, use of bio-diesel to reduce air pollution and opening of modern hospitals and medical facilities at ports.
Earlier speaking on the occasion Secretary, Shipping Shri Rajive Kumar said as the Government is promoting coastal and inland waterways trade, the efficiency of ports has great bearing on cost of transportation. A presentation was also made on the occasion which may be accessed through the link provided below.
