Union Minister Sonowal unveils Rs 1500 crore infra, CSR projects in Mangaluru
Mangaluru(PTI): Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday unveiled 16 infrastructure and 113 CSR projects worth Rs 1,500 crore at the golden jubilee celebrations of the NMPA here.
Speaking at the event, Sonowal said the projects mark a major step in strengthening India’s maritime infrastructure under the government’s Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways added that New Mangalore Port Authority has signed MoUs worth Rs 52,000 crore as part of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, according to a press release.
Tracing the port’s five-decade journey since its commissioning in 1975, Sonowal said NMPA now handles over 46 million tonnes of cargo annually and aims to reach 100 million tonnes by 2047.
The port has achieved 92 per cent mechanisation and operates as India’s largest coffee exporter and second-largest LPG importer, the release said.
Sonowal also inaugurated the renovated Mangalore Marine College and Technology (MMCT) campus and a new Rs 9.51-crore office building of the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD).
He highlighted that the number of Indian seafarers has risen from 1.08 lakh in 2014 to over 3.2 lakh now, projecting that one in every five global seafarers will be Indian by 2030, the release added.
The minister said NMPA has transitioned to 100 per cent solar power and adopted green cargo policies.
Karnataka has 32 ongoing Sagarmala projects worth Rs 6,526 crore to boost port-led industrial and coastal development, he added.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, MP Brijesh Chowta, former MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLAs Dr Bharath Shetty and D Vedavyasa Kamath, and senior port and shipping officials were present.
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
