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Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the government has set itself a target of raising the country's port capacity to more than 10,000 Million Ton Per Annum (MTPA) from the current 2,600 MTPA by 2047. he also said the government will soon set up a Bureau of Port Security to upgrade security across all ports in the country. 

Sonowal said the country's maritime sector is poised for substantial growth with over Rs 10 lakh crore worth of investment opportunities identified, with the opportunity to generate employment for over 15 lakh youths. In alignment with this vision, the role of private players is being progressively augmented, with public-private partnership (PPP) terminals currently handling about 50 per cent of the cargo at major ports and efforts underway to raise their share to approximately 85 per cent in the coming decades.

The minister stated that the government is working with a focus to enhance cargo movement on India's national waterways, which witnessed a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in the last fiscal year. He added that ambitious targets have been set to achieve a substantial quantum of 500 MTPA by 2047, underlining the government's commitment to leveraging the maritime sector as a catalyst for comprehensive national growth.