Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal convened the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways' Consultative Committee meeting in Puri, Odisha, bringing together Minister of State Shantanu Thakur and eight Members of Parliament to deliberate on strengthening India's coastal and cruise shipping sectors . The meeting served as a platform for the government to articulate an ambitious long-term vision for India's maritime economy, with Sonowal declaring that "in the last 12 years under PM Narendra Modi, India's maritime sector has undergone massive transformations" .
The centerpiece of the announced agenda is the target to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in India's total freight movement from the current 6% to 12% by 2047 . This goal is to be pursued through the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, which will offer financial incentives to cargo owners, coastal vessel operators, and multimodal transport operators who move freight through integrated ship, rail, and road networks . Sonowal underscored the rationale by noting that coastal cargo at Indian ports has surged from 74 million metric tons to 177 million metric tons over the past 12 years—a growth of approximately 140%—demonstrating the latent capacity of India's 11,000-kilometer coastline .
A significant infrastructure announcement emerged from the meeting: the development of an International Cruise Terminal at Puri at an estimated cost of ₹1,500 crore, to be executed by the Paradip Port Authority in partnership with the Government of Odisha . The terminal is positioned to anchor Odisha's coastline as a cruise tourism destination, complementing the broader Cruise Bharat Mission launched in September 2024, which targets one million sea cruise passengers and 400,000 jobs by March 2029 . Sonowal reported that India recorded 462,661 ocean cruise passengers and 212 vessel calls in fiscal year 2025-26, representing a 5.5-fold increase in passenger traffic since 2013-14 .
The meeting also highlighted the expansion of river cruise infrastructure, with 20 river cruise circuits operational across 16 National Waterways and 51 additional circuits identified for phased development . A total of 143 river cruise terminals and landing points are now operational nationwide . For Odisha specifically, Sonowal pointed to the development of National Waterway No. 5, estimated at over ₹13,000 crore, designed to connect industrial and mining centers including Talcher and Kalinganagar with east coast ports .
The combined impact of the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme and Cruise Bharat Mission is projected to generate more than 560,000 jobs and save 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to government estimates . The environmental dimension reflects a strategic shift toward waterborne logistics as a lower-carbon alternative to road and rail freight, aligning with India's broader decarbonization objectives while addressing logistics cost competitiveness .
Participating Members of Parliament welcomed the initiatives and offered region-specific suggestions for maritime infrastructure development, which Sonowal acknowledged as valuable inputs for shaping policy . The Consultative Committee format, which brings legislators into direct dialogue with ministry leadership, provided a platform for aligning national maritime priorities with regional development aspirations. Sonowal closed by framing the agenda within the government's Viksit Bharat vision, stating that "we are steadily advancing towards a competitive, sustainable and thriving maritime ecosystem" .