Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday reviewed the progress on various green initiatives being implemented as per Maritime India Vision 2030 for the development of green ports and green shipping in India, an official statement said on Saturday.
The minister held a meeting with the representatives of all major ports such as JNPT, Cochin Shipyard Limited and Inland Waterways Authority of India.
As part of Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030, a total of 963 initiatives have been identified for implementation across major ports with an estimated investment of Rs 6,77,720.24 crore, of which a total of 208 initiatives with an estimated investment of Rs 44,424.47 crore have been completed in the financial year 2021.
Further, the statement said 504 initiatives with an estimated investment of Rs 48,256.14 crore are under implementation.
The Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister directed all ports to take the green initiatives forward by putting dedicated proactive efforts towards the greening of the maritime sector including the finalization of green port policy, it said.
According to the statement, the green port initiatives include the acquisition of equipment for monitoring environmental pollution, acquisition of dust suppression systems, setting up of sewage/ wastewater treatment plants and, setting up of garbage disposal systems for ports and ships.
It said the ministry is also working on a draft of a 'Green Port Policy' document to suggest a framework and guidelines for the incorporation of green initiatives in the port sector.
The statement said possibilities are also being explored for the deployment of fully electric and hydrogen-fuelled ferries on Inland Waterways for the enhancement of river cruise tourism in the country.
It noted that the pace at which the green initiatives are undertaken by the 12 major ports will surely bring a green revolution in the sector making the ports cleaner and greener, which is also a key component of 'blue economy', creating environmental benefits and balancing the investments and cash flow.
