On 22nd August 2024, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) launched major sustainable initiatives after he inaugurated three newly rejuvenated freshwater lakes at Jawaharlal Nehru (JN) Port in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- The lakes, named in the honour of famous saints of Maharashtra, Saint Dyaneshwar Maharaj, Saint Eknath Maharaj, and Saint Namdeo Maharaj, will serve as important reservoirs for rainwater harvesting and habitat restoration.
Signing of 2 MoUs:
During the event, the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal witnessed the signing of 2 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) designed to bolster the infrastructure of JN Port and sustainability efforts.
Details of the MoU:
i.Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Vadhavan Port and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) signed a MoU for the disbursement of loans to support various infrastructure projects.
ii.JNPA and Gateway Terminal India (GTI) signed a MoU to boost the sustainable effort by shoring up power supply for vessels of the port.
Launch of Smart SEZ:
Union Minister Sonowal launched the Smart Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project at a ceremony held at JN Port in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Aim: To facilitate the important infrastructure for future applications like: Energy Management System, Smart Street Lighting, Smart Parking, and weighbridge.
- Some of the key features of the project are: preventing perimeter intrusions, ensuring disciplined vehicle movement, streamlining gate operations, extending network connectivity to all utility buildings for Local Area Network (LAN) users, smart tracking of staff and vehicles.
- He also issued Letters of Intent (LoI) to SEZ concessionaires.
Union Minister Sonowal issued LoI to SEZ Concessionaires
During his visit to JN Port, Union Minister Sonowal also issued Letters of Intent (LoI) to SEZ concessionaires. So far, JNPA has allotted plots in 7 phases, with the latest e-auction of phase-7 for 57 acres, attracted 21 bidders for 6 unit plots and 3 co-developer plots.
- The bids were 95.23% higher than the reserve price which results in increase of 63% in revenue for JNPA compared to the reserve price.
- In Financial Year of 2023-2024 (FY24), SEZ generated Export-Import (EXIM) trade of Rs 15,000 crores, including 8,049 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) and witnessing a 300% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth.
JNPA announced the expansion of cargo handling to 10 million TEUs:
JNPA announced the successful expansion of its liquid cargo handling capacity with the introduction of Additional Liquid Cargo Berths (ALCB) i.e. Liquid Berth-3(LB3) and Berth-4 (LB4).
- Target: It is aims to increase its container handling capacity from 6.5 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) (at present) to 11 MMTPA on the full expansion by 2029.
Key Points:
i.By April 2025, the container handling capacity of the port will increase from 7.4 million TEUs to 10.4 million TEUs.
ii.JNPA has also announced 22nd August, 2024 as the date of award of concession to the concessionaire of 2 additional berths (LB3/LB4). These additional berths will be developed and operated under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
iii.On 19th February 2024, the LoI was awarded to M/s JSW Infrastructure Limited and the concession agreement was signed on 8th April, 2024.
Launch of Whatsapp Chatbot for Vadhvan Skilling Program
The Union Minister Sonowal launched a whatsapp chatbot for Vadhvan Skilling Program, developed by JNPA. It aims to empower the local community and enhance workforce development.
- It is designed to provide access to skilling programs and to provide information about Vadhvan Port, and guide users through the process of visiting JN Port.
- Target: To generate approximately 10 lakh employment opportunities.
About Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW):
Union Minister- Sarbananda Sonowal (Constituency- Dibrugarh, Assam)
Minister of State (MoS)- Shantanu Thakur (Constituency- Bangaon, West Bengal (WB))
