Union Budget instrumental in sailing Bharat towards becoming a top global maritime superpower: Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Guwahati: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said the Union Budget has provided a powerful thrust to India’s economic transformation by accelerating the Reform Express, strengthening the foundations of growth and ‘positioning the maritime sector as the anchor in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat’.

The Union Minister said the Budget reflects the government’s commitment to the three Kartavyas — accelerating and sustaining economic growth, fulfilling aspirations by building capacity, and ensuring inclusive development in line with the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.

“Maritime sector emerges as strategic growth engine.The Budget has created an enabling ecosystem that empowers our stakeholders,transporters and industry partners to build capacity, expand operations and grow further,” Sonowal said.


He expressed gratitude to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget, calling it a testament to policy continuity, reform stability and women empowerment. A major highlight of the Union Budget is the announcement of a Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS) with a total outlay of Rs 10,000 crore over the next five years. The scheme aims to establish a globally competitive container manufacturing ecosystem in India, supporting the rapid growth of containerised cargo, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the value of international trade.

Under the initiative, India targets achieving an annual domestic manufacturing capacity of approximately one million TEUs over the next decade. The programme is expected to generate a total market value of nearly ?1.07 lakh crore, reflecting a multiplier impact of about eight times the government support. It is also projected to create around 3,000 direct jobs and more than 50,000 indirect jobs, while catalysing the development of ancillary industries such as corner castings, wooden frames, specialised steel and waterbased paints. The initiative will significantly reduce India’s dependence on imported empty containers, which currently stands at nearly two million units, and strengthen national supply-chain resilience.

Sonowal said, “This scheme will build a strong domestic ecosystem capable of meeting the rising demand of containerised cargo and enhancing India’s competitiveness in global trade. The scheme represents a transformative step in India’s maritime growth journey. With a targeted capacity of one million TEUs annually over the next 10 years and a potential market creation of over Rs 1 lakh crore, this initiative will generate largescale employment, strengthen ancillary manufacturing and significantly reduce import dependence. Together with the Bharat Container Shipping Line, this marks a decisive move toward maritime self-reliance and a more resilient logistics supply chain for the country

The Union Budget provides renewed momentum to India’s inland waterways revolution. India will operationalise 20 new National Waterways over the next five years, further expanding the national network and enabling greener, cost effective cargo movement. Sonowal recalled that while only five national waterways existed prior to 2014, the number has since expanded to 111 waterways under the National Waterways Act. Cargo movement on inland waterways has increased from 18.1 million metric tonnes in 2013–14 to 145.5 million metric tonnes in 2024–25, recording nearly 700 percent growth with a compound annual growth rate of about 21 percent. The operational length of waterways has expanded from 2,716 km to more than 5,155 km, easing congestion on road and rail networks. “The Union Budget has given fresh momentum to India’s inland waterways transformation. The decision to operationalise 20 additional waterways over the next five years will further strengthen green, cost-effective logistics and reduce pressure on road and rail networks. The focused development of National Waterway-5 on the Mahanadi system will unlock the economic potential of eastern India by connecting mineral belts, industrial centres and ports, reinforcing waterways as a key pillar of India’s multimodal transport and sustainable growth strategy,” Sonowal said.

An important announcement in the Budget is the focused development of National Waterway–5 on the Mahanadi river system in Odisha. The waterway will connect the mineral-rich areas of Talcher and Angul with major industrial centres such as Kalinga Nagar and ports at Paradeep and Dhamra. Major terminals will be developed at Kakudi, Kurunti and Pankapal, with coal, coking coal and limestone as principal cargo. The corridor has a cargo potential of approximately 10 million tonnes by 2032, increasing to 20 million tonnes by 2047, with an estimated investment of around Rs 13,000 crore.

To fulfil the Kartavya of building capacity, the Union Budget announced the establishment of training institutes as Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoE) for skill development in the inland waterways sector. Training centres will be set up in Kolkata and Varanasi, enabling youth across the entire waterway stretch to acquire specialised maritime and logistics skills. In addition, a dedicated ship repair ecosystem catering to inland waterways will be established at Varanasi and Patna, improving operational reliability while generating skilled employment. A RCoE is also being developed in Dibrugarh, Assam. The Budget announced the launch of a Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme to incentivise modal shift from rail and road to waterways.