50,000 maritime sector jobs for northeast youth planned, says Sonowal

GUWAHATI

The Centre has created a blueprint to prepare the youth of the northeastern States for 50,000 jobs in the maritime sector over the next 10 years, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday (July 7, 2025).

The Union government had set a target of generating 5,000 jobs for the eight-State region’s youth annually through the Maritime Skill Development Centre in Guwahati, and the upcoming Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh worth ₹200 crore, he said.

“Aligning with the Prime Minister’s vision, we plan to train, enable, and empower 50,000 youth from the northeast with world-class maritime skills over the next decade, ensuring meaningful employment and growth,” Mr. Sonowal said at an event in Guwahati to mark 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

India’s maritime sector had transformed since 2014, with a record growth in cargo-handling, capacity, and coastal shipping, he claimed. Major ports had nearly doubled their capacity while cruise tourism was rising with ambitious new terminals, he said.

“Key legislative and digital reforms, green shipping initiatives, and projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project are strengthening regional connectivity and trade. India’s ports are now globally competitive, with nine ranking in the World Bank’s top 100, and the Visakhapatnam Port reaching the top 20,” Mr. Sonowal said.

The Centre’s commitment to making India a global maritime powerhouse and driving inclusive development across every coastal and riverine region had led to unprecedented growth from enhanced port capacity and cargo-handling to pioneering green shipping, cruise tourism, and skill development for the youth, he claimed.

River lighthouses

The success of lighthouse tourism along India’s coast would be extended to the national waterways, including the Brahmaputra river, Mr. Sonowal said. He said the focus on upgrading and beautifying some 205 marine lighthouses had led to a 400% increase in tourist footfall from 4 lakh in 2014 to 16 lakh during the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“We plan to construct four tourist-friendly lighthouses on the Brahmaputra — once each at Bogibeel, Biswanath Ghat, Silghat, and Pandu (Guwahati). Apart from this, 85 community jetties would be built at strategic points on 20 national waterways in the northeast to facilitate cargo and passenger movement,” he said.

The Shipping Ministry had undertaken projects worth ₹1,000 crore in the region’s inland waterways sector since 2023, Mr. Sonowal said. These projects are scheduled for completion by 2025.

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, entailing road and river connectivity between Mizoram and Sittwe Port in Myanmar, was set to be fully operational by 2027, he further said.

Bangladesh factor

The political situation in Bangladesh had not affected inland water transport on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes, Mr. Sonowal said. These routes allow cargo transport between India’s mainland and the northeast on rivers through Bangladesh.

“The bilateral agreement on the movement of cargo vessels continues to stand. We are moving 4 million metric tonnes of goods on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes annually,” he said.

“We want a good relationship with our neighbours, irrespective of their internal issues,” Mr. Sonowal said.