Staff Reporter, Guwahati, August 31: The roadshow on Global Maritime India Summit, 2023 (GMIS) was ceremonially inaugurated by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal here today. Pitching the role of GMIS, 2023, the Union Minister, highlighted how the role of inland waterways has evolved as an alternative mode of transportation, especially under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On this occasion, the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Inland waterways are powering the growth of the Indian economy. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the inland waterways sector has received a tremendous boost as the government has invested ₹5200 crores since 2014. This is a significant jump of more than 200% in the amount of investment made by the government in a span of 9 years over investments made in the previous 28 years. This drives home the utmost urgency with which the inland waterways are being developed under the Modi government. This clean, efficient & economical mode of transportation will be pivotal in unlocking the economic potential of the hinterland of India. By investing in the inland waterways and empowering our rich and complex waterways system, we are in the process of creating a collaborative ecosystem for the industry that will foster greater cooperation among our neighbouring countries. This is going to unlock huge trade and commerce potential for all the countries as well as states of India in the south Asia region.” The roadshow on Global Maritime India Summit, 2023 was also addressed by Minister of Transport, Fisheries & Excise Department, Govt. of Assam, Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister of Industries & Commerce and Public Enterprises, Cultural Affairs, Govt of Assam, Bimal Borah; Minister for Water Resources, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Mama Natung; MLA & Advisor (Transport and Technical education), Govt. of Nagaland, Temjenmenba; Secretary, MoPSW, T.K. Ramachandran; Chairman, National Shipping Board (NSB), Sanjeev Ranjan, IAS; Chairman, IWAI, Sanjay Bandopadhyay; among other dignitaries from trade and commerce as well as maritime sector of the region and officials. GMIS also witnessed participation from the neighbouring countries Bhutan and Bangladesh. The countries were represented by Assistant High Commissioner, Bangladesh in Guwahati, Ruhul Amin; Joint Secretary, Member (Planning & Operation), Bangladesh Inland Waterways Transport Authority (BIWTA), Mohammad Monowar Uz Zaman as well as Vice Consul, Royal Bhutanese Consulate General, Guwahati, Phurpa Tshering. The event witnessed three sessions including a technical session on infrastructure where technical experts from the Northeast states deliberated, a Minister's Session as well as a dedicated session on trade where leaders and experts deliberated on opportunities as well as possibilities for economic growth and regional trade via a rich system of inland waterways. Post inaugural session, the trade talks took place where trade, business bodies will engage to explore opportunities in the inland waterways in the region. The roadshow at Guwahati is the fifth in a series of roadshows being organised by the Ministry as part of the run up to the main event of Global Maritime India Summit, 2023. The main event is going to be held between October 17-19, 2023 at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Earlier, similar roadshows were organised in Kolkata, Mangalore, Vishakhapatanam and Goa. Following Guwahati, road shows are being planned at Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
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