The government has stated that no major port in the country has been privatized as the ownership of the land and waterfront remains with the Government. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha over port operations and privatization, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal said, Private sector participation has been allowed in these major ports on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis for projects/berths/terminals for fix tenure on revenue share/royalty payment by the concessionaire. He added that, After the concession period gets over the port asset is handed over to the Port Authority. Mr. Sonowal also informed that, there are 12 major ports under central government and 217 non-major ports managed by or under the control of state maritime boards.
An additional 106 waterways have been declared as National Waterways in last 10 years: Govt
The government has informed that, in the last 10 years, an additional 106 waterways have been declared as National Waterways. In a reply to supplementary questions in Rajya Sabha Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said, Cargo shipping through waterways has increased by 6 times in the last 10 years. In 2013-14 more than 18 million metric tonnes of cargo was shipped through waterways. In 2023-24 this capacity was increased to 133 million metric tonnes, he added. Mr. Sonowal said, waterways reduce the logistic cost and it is most feasible for cargo shipping.