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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Delhi court acquits activist Medha Patkar in defamation case filed by LG V K Saxena
New Delhi (PTI): A court here on Saturday acquitted social activist Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi L-G V K Saxena, saying the prosecution failed to prove that she made the alleged defamatory statements during a television programme in 2006.
The complaint was filed by Saxena, then president of the National Council for Civil Liberties, alleging that Patkar had defamed him during a TV programme.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma, while hearing the case, said the complainant had failed to produce legally admissible evidence to establish that Patkar had made the impugned statements.
According to the complaint, Patkar had allegedly claimed during the programme that Saxena and his NGO had received civil contracts connected with the Sardar Sarovar project, an allegation Saxena denied and termed defamatory.
The court said the material on record showed that Patkar was not a panellist on the programme and that only a short pre-recorded video clip of her was played during the telecast.
"It is important to note that neither the reporter who actually recorded the audio-video nor any person who had seen the accused making the impugned statements has been examined as a witness.
"It is also crucial to note that the clip played in the programme/show appears to be only a very short clipping from an interview or press conference of the accused," the judge said.
The court noted that to establish anything in the case, it is essential to produce the entire video and audio of the press conference before the court about the alleged defamatory remarks given by the accused.
"Without examining the entire clip or footage of that interview, no determination can be made regarding the speech of the accused," the judge said.
The court said that Saxena failed to place on record the original video footage or the recording device that allegedly captured the defamatory remarks, and as a result, the statements attributed to Patkar could not be established.
"The only document capable of proving that the accused made the impugned statements would be the original electronic device in which such statements were recorded," the court said, adding that neither the device nor a valid secondary copy was placed on record.
The case was filed before a court in Ahmedabad. It was transferred to Delhi in 2010 on the orders of the Supreme Court.
In the absence of legally admissible evidence proving publication of defamatory statements by Patkar, the court acquitted her of the charge under IPC Section 500 (defamation).
In August 2025, in a separate defamation case filed by VK Saxena, the Supreme Court confirmed Patkar's conviction ordered by the trial court and set aside a penalty of Rs 1 lakh imposed on her in the case.
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