Bengaluru : Sagarmala Project is likely to get more funds from the government in the upcoming Union Budget as the Karnataka state government has approached the Ministry of Shipping with a host of fresh development plans amounting to an additional expenditure of Rupees 8,741 crores. Most of the Karnataka government’s proposals are directed towards generation of employment and skill development.
Sagarmala Project is a Government of India initiative aimed at developing port infrastructure in India to make it modern and world class, so as to boost economic activity in the coastal areas.
The skill development programmes also include, “ establishment of Marine college under Indian Maritime University, Chennai for providing Navigational education” to enable people to get jobs in merchant vessels.
As there is a huge demand for seafarers in world marine scenario, and it is the right time to establish a Marine college in any one of the three coastal districts of Karnataka. There is a dearth of skilled people for manning harbour crafts, fishing vessels, tugs, barges, sailing vessels and inland vessels in Karnataka Coast. It is a statutory obligation to employ competent, skilled crew member on the said vessels in the interest of the safety of men and material transported through water transport,” as stated in the proposal.
It also envisions “providing port managerial skill development programmes for creating more employment opportunities.”
Captain C Swamy, Director of Public works, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department in Government of Karnataka recently went into a deliberation with top officials in charge of the Sagarmala Project, over the proposed new projects. He says that the Karnataka government would proceed to make detailed study as to what number of jobs would be created by the projects, soon after approval is granted.
Sagarmala, the port-led industrialization project is expected to create more than 1 crore jobs throughout India and Karnataka expects to tap a chunk of it by investing in fresh ideas. The new proposals, which are expected to generate employment opportunities, seek to enhance Karnataka’s port related economic activities to a large scale.
“To facilitate handling of exclusive coastal cargo and to earn more revenue to the state exchequer and provide more employment opportunity,” the Karnataka government comes up with fresh proposals of construction of six coastal berths and capital dredging projects on various ports of the state.
Coastal berths facilitate safe loading and unloading of cargo at ports and capital dredging boosts the cargo handling capacity of the ports.
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