GG News Bureau
Bhavnagar, 20th Sept: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of maritime and coastal development projects worth over ₹34,200 crore at the ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event in Bhavnagar, declaring that India’s coastlines will be “gateways to national prosperity” and urging citizens to embrace complete self-reliance.
“For global peace, stability and prosperity, India must become self-reliant. Whether it is chips or ships, we must make them in India,” the Prime Minister told a packed gathering, announcing next-generation reforms for India’s shipping and port sector.
Major Announcements
- Infrastructure Status for Shipbuilding: Modi said large ships are now officially recognised as infrastructure, giving builders easier access to loans and lower interest rates.
- One Nation, One Port Process: All major ports will shift to a single-document, single-window system to simplify trade.
- Investment Pipeline: Three new schemes worth over ₹70,000 crore will modernise shipyards, boost technology adoption and improve design standards.
The Prime Minister highlighted that India pays nearly $75 billion annually to foreign shipping companies—roughly equal to the nation’s defence budget—because 95 percent of its trade depends on foreign vessels. “If we are to become a developed nation by 2047, there is no alternative to self-reliance,” he said.
Maritime Heritage and Growth
Citing India’s ancient shipbuilding legacy, Modi noted that Bhavnagar and the Saurashtra region have long been maritime hubs. He announced progress on a world-class maritime museum at Lothal and pointed to Gujarat’s dominance in cargo handling, with 40 percent of India’s sea-borne trade routed through its ports.
The Prime Minister also lauded the Alang Ship-Breaking Yard for generating employment and revealed that India now supplies over three lakh seafarers, ranking among the world’s top three nations in maritime manpower.
Broader Economic Vision
Linking self-reliance to national pride, Modi urged shopkeepers to display signs reading “Say with pride, this is Swadeshi,” and called on citizens to choose indigenous products. He connected the initiative to India’s wider “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) goal, warning that dependence on imports “compromises national self-respect and the future of coming generations.”
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Mansukh Mandaviya, Shantanu Thakur, and Nimuben Bambhaniya joined the event.
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