India's maritime sector projected to attract Rs 80 lakh cr investment in coming years: Sonowal
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said India's maritime sector was projected to attract investments worth over Rs 80 lakh crore in the coming years which will help the country regain its nautical supremacy.
According to Sonowal, in 2025, the maritime sector attracted over Rs 12 lakh crore investment and in coming years it will increase to Rs 80 lakh crore and generate over 1.5 crore jobs.
"As a result of this investment, India's long lost maritime supremacy will be regained and we shall be the global maritime leaders once again," he said at the inaugural ceremony of Vizhinjam port's second phase of development.
The minister said once the second phase of development is completed, Vizhinjam port will transform into "a regional transshipment hub of global significance".
Sonowal also highlighted the "remarkable operational performance" demonstrated by the port in the short span since its dedication to the nation in May last year.
The Union Shipping Minister further said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the maritime sector in India, in the last decade, "has witnessed unprecedented progress" with manifold increase in the number of shipyards, maritime cruise passengers, cruise sectors, cargo movement on inland waterways and the number of operational waterways in the country.
He said that the impact of this progress has been seen on the ground as according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India's logistics costs are approximately 7.97 per cent of GDP for 2023-24, "a clear improvement from earlier levels".
"Kerala occupies a very special place in this national maritime transformation," the union minister said.
With world class ports, modern shipping, strong ship building and vibrant inland waterways, Kerala was "well positioned to play a leadership role in India's maritime future", he said.
The union minister also expressed confidence that Vizhinjam seaport along with the maritime ecosystem being developed in Kerala will generate employment, boost trade, empower coastal communities and strengthen India's position in the global supplies chain.
Sonowal said Kerala was currently implementing 56 Sagarmala-related projects with a total investment of over Rs 24,000 crore and of them 20 worth Rs 5,300 crore, have already been completed and the remaining 36 valued at Rs 18,700 crore were in various stages of implementation.
He also noted that the Cochin Port Authority and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd were playing a pivotal role in strengthening the maritime ecosystem in Kerala.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
