Centre plans to allocate Rs. 5,000-mn to fund rail, road

New Delhi: The Government is considering a proposal to set up a corpus of Rs 500 crore to develop road and rail connectivity at non-major ports, which are administered by the State Governments. The money to develop road and rail connectivity will be routed through the State maritime boards. The move is aimed at increasing cargo movement through these ports. “We have sent a proposal to the Finance Ministry, under which we plan to develop non-major ports by giving them financial help,” Mr Rakesh Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Shipping Ministry, said on the sidelines of a conference. Currently, only 30 per cent of the cargo moving through ports is routed via non-major ports ports, while the remaining 70 per cent is concentrated at major ports.