Union Minister Inaugurates 'India Maritime Week - 2025', Declares Vision for Maritime Powerhouse by 2047
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Ministry of Home Affairs | Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated the ‘India Maritime Week - 2025’ in Mumbai, declaring that the event marks “India’s Maritime Moment,” transforming the Gateway of India into the Gateway of the World. The summit is projected to draw over 1 lakh delegates and create investment opportunities worth ₹10 lakh crore. The overarching goal is to secure India’s prominent position in the maritime industry by 2047, based on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision centered on three pillars: security, stability, and self-reliance.
The Minister highlighted a decade of structural reforms, including the passage of the 117-year-old Indian Ports Bill in 2025 and the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, which grant greater autonomy to ports and modernize the institutional framework. Over the past 11 years, the sector’s budget has increased sixfold, rising from $40 million to $230 million. Operational growth has been significant, with coastal shipping increasing by 118% and cargo handling rising by 150%.
Strategically, India’s maritime policy has evolved into MAHASAGAR (Mutual And Holistic Advancement for Security And Growth Across Regions), signifying India’s growing role as a bridge between the Indo-Pacific and the Global South. The government is now pushing a Green Maritime Future, advocating for green shipping corridors and green hydrogen bunkering to lead a sustainable global supply chain transition.
Also, under the Sagarmala project, 839 projects worth $70 billion have been identified for completion by March 2025, with 272 projects worth $17 billion already finished.
By connecting legal reform (Indian Ports Bill) with massive infrastructural projects (Sagarmala, Great Nicobar Project) and strategic foreign policy (MAHASAGAR), this initiative underscores India’s determined political will to transition from a regional logistics hub to a global maritime power, strengthening national competitiveness and soft power.
What is MAHASAGAR? → MAHASAGAR (Mutual And Holistic Advancement for Security And Growth Across Regions) is the guiding policy philosophy for India’s maritime engagement. It symbolizes India’s growing global footprint and commitment to using its maritime position to foster development, security, and environmental progress through cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
What is the Sagarmala Programme?→ The Sagarmala Programme is a flagship initiative designed to transform India into a global maritime hub. It is a core pillar of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and focuses on cutting logistics costs, enhancing trade efficiency, and creating employment through smarter, greener transport networks, backed by extensive infrastructural investments. The Sagarmala Programme serves as the core domestic engine that provides the infrastructure and economic strength necessary to realize India’s broad geopolitical and foreign policy goals articulated under the MAHASAGAR doctrine.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Beyond major ports, what specific policy levers will be used to accelerate investment in Green Maritime technologies for coastal shipping and inland waterways to achieve the Green Maritime Future goal?
Follow the full news here: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah inaugurates the ‘India Maritime Week - 2025’ in Mumbai