Andhra Pradesh has obtained ₹7,000 crore investment under various Sagarmala schemes of the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Of the proposed investment, there are 29 new proposals from State (Andhra Pradesh government) of ₹3,300 crore, the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said in response to a question in the Parliament.
The Union Ministry will partially funded four projects worth ₹1,200 crore.
For projects related to development of Bhavanapadu Port, Ramayapatnam Port and Machilipatnam Port, the Andhra government has been requested to “restructure the projects and explore the possibility of funding under special assistance to States for Capital Investment under PM GatiShakti”.
“Projects related to Coastal Berths and Fish Landing Centres (FLCs) have also been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for their necessary approvals,” Sonowal said.
Additionally, the Visakhapatnam Port Authority and IWAI have undertaken 36 projects in Andhra Pradesh, with a combined investment of ₹4,600 crore. Of these, 22 projects worth ₹2,530 crore have been completed; and another 14 worth ₹2,070 crore are in various stages of implementation.
An International cruise cum coastal terminal at Visakhapatnam Port has been built too.
Sagarmala is a flagship initiative aimed at transforming the maritime sector and leveraging the country’s extensive coastline and navigable waterways for port-led development.
Funding for these projects is provided through a mix of Public-Private Partnerships, equity participation, and Grant-in-aid assistance, ensuring there are no financial constraints from the government’s side.
“In the last decade, the nation’s port capacity stood at (over) 2,500 MTPA in 2022-23 (an 86 per cent increase from 2014-15) and the cargo handling capacity at Major Ports has doubled,” he said.