PMO asks Shipping Ministry to fast-track Sagarmala project.

The Prime Minister's Office has asked the Shipping Ministry to expedite work on ambitious Sagarmala project, aimed at port-led development in the coastal states.

'The nodal point for Sagarmala project will be the Ministry of Shipping. This project needs to be expeditiously worked out by integrating all components i.e. port facilities, central ferry services, tourism infrastructure and inland water transportation,' said an official communication from the PMO to various infrastructure ministries.

Last week, addressing a function at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust SEZ in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed the need for shifting focus from port development to 'port-led development' model to maximise gains.

The government, he had said, had conceived 'Sagarmala', an ambitious project for maritime states, envisaging not merely port development, but port-led development which would include ports, SEZs, rail, road, air and waterway connectivity with the hinterland, including linkages of cold storage and warehousing facilities.

ET