Be it Sagaramala, National Logistics Policy or the PM Gati Shakti plan, several important initiatives have been taken by the Centre in the last eight years giving thrust to the growth of the maritime sector, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ministry of AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal said on Friday.
At the seventh convocation of Indian Maritime University (IMU) near Chennai, he said every State prospered because of the Centre’s initiatives. “The opportunities are increasing in all States, whether it is Kanniyakumari [district in Tamil Nadu] or Ladakh [Union Territory]. We have to make India one of the most important global destinations in all sectors, including science, agriculture, manufacturing and sports,” he said.
Ayush market size
Pointing out that the market size of Ayush grew manifold in the last eight years, he said: “Ayush, the traditional system of medicine, is widely practised across the globe and among several countries but the WHO decided to have a [centre] in India. Here, we have to note that up to 2014 [market size] of Ayush was $3 billion. In the last eight years, it has gone up to $18.2 billion.”
Union Minister of State for Shipping Shripad Naik said it was imperative for the IMU to build human and resource capabilities in the next five years. “It is the only university in the country dedicated exclusively to the maritime sector and is poised to play a pivotal role in achieving the nation’s aim to increase the global share of seafarers from 12% to 20% by 2030. IMU has signed MoUs with leading international maritime institutes and organisations from Russia, the Philippines and the Netherlands for academic and research purposes,” he added.
The Centre for Policy Research in Maritime Studies of IMU was inaugurated at the event.
Malini V. Shankar, Vice-Chancellor of IMU, spoke.
