Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said the Union Budget has delivered a powerful boost to India’s economic transformation by accelerating reforms and firmly positioning the maritime sector as a key pillar in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Calling the Budget a catalyst for growth, Sonowal said it reflects the government’s commitment to the three Kartavyas—accelerating and sustaining economic growth, building capacity to fulfil aspirations, and ensuring inclusive development in line with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s dynamic leadership, the Reform Express is moving at full momentum. This Budget enhances productivity, strengthens economic resilience and ensures every sector, region and community has access to meaningful opportunities,” Sonowal said.
Maritime sector as strategic growth engine
The Union Minister said the Budget has clearly positioned the maritime sector as a strategic enabler of India’s trade competitiveness, logistics efficiency and long-term economic resilience.
“The maritime sector emerges as a strategic growth engine. The Budget creates an enabling ecosystem that empowers stakeholders, transporters and industry partners to expand capacity and scale operations,” he said.
Sonowal expressed gratitude to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget, describing it as a testament to policy continuity, reform, stability and women’s empowerment.
₹10,000 crore push for container manufacturing
A key highlight of the Budget is the announcement of a Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS) with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years. The scheme aims to build a globally competitive container manufacturing ecosystem in India to support the rapid growth of containerised cargo, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of global trade value.
Under the initiative, India targets an annual domestic manufacturing capacity of around one million TEUs over the next decade. The programme is expected to generate a market value of nearly ₹1.07 lakh crore, create about 3,000 direct jobs and over 50,000 indirect jobs, and boost ancillary industries such as specialised steel, corner castings and eco-friendly paints.
“This scheme marks a transformative step towards maritime self-reliance, reducing import dependence and strengthening India’s logistics supply chain,” Sonowal said.
Inland waterways and coastal shipping boost
The Budget also provides renewed momentum to India’s inland waterways revolution, with plans to operationalise 20 new National Waterways over the next five years. Sonowal noted that the number of national waterways has grown from five before 2014 to 111 today, while cargo movement has surged nearly 700 per cent to 145.5 million metric tonnes in 2024–25.
A Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme has been announced to encourage modal shift from road and rail to waterways, with a target to increase the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047.
Connectivity, ship ownership and regional focus
The Budget proposes new Dedicated Freight Corridors linking Dankuni to Surat to enhance port connectivity and cargo evacuation. Measures to promote Indian ship ownership include extending tax benefits for GIFT IFSC units and Offshore Banking Units, along with customs duty exemptions for vessel imports.
The Budget also announced indigenisation of seaplane manufacturing with viability gap funding to improve last-mile connectivity to remote and island regions.
Welcoming the focus on Purvodaya, Sonowal said initiatives such as the East Coast Industrial Corridor, tourism development, e-buses and Buddhist circuit projects will transform eastern and northeastern India into hubs of culture, commerce and connectivity.
“This Budget is instrumental in propelling Bharat towards becoming a global maritime superpower. It balances ambition with inclusion and action with reform,” Sonowal said.
