By IANS,
New Delhi : India is determined to “greatly expand” its inland water transport, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Tuesday.
Dedicating the Pipavav Shipyard in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region to the nation, Manmohan Singh said in a speech from here that the ship building industry could have a multiplier effect on economic output.
“The government has therefore been supporting the setting up of shipyards. I understand the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council is working with the ministry of shipping to explore fresh ways to enable faster growth of this dynamic sector,” he said.
“In addition, we intend to take measures to greatly expand inland water transport.”
The prime minister said he firmly believed that India was destined to be a major trading nation of the world.
“If India is destined to be a major trading nation, I think shipping, ship building and management of our ports assume great importance in our scheme of development planning,” he said.
The prime minister said the Pipavav Shipyard, set up on the Saurashtra coast, “is one of the most modern shipyards in India.
“I note the commitment of the management to provide our country with the best available shipyards anywhere in the world. This shipyard has been developed to have one of the largest dry dock and wet dock facilities in the world, with the state-of-the-art technology which can be used for construction of vessels relating to oil, gas and defence sectors.
“I hope this modern facility will set new benchmarks in quality and efficiency for our country,” he said.
Manmohan Singh complimented the management of Pipavav Shipyard for their “commitment to get away from the chalta hai tradition which has often held our country back”.
He hoped that new ports would come up in the country and the maintenance of existing ports and harbours will improve.
“In addition, measures are being undertaken to reduce connectivity constraints being faced by our ports.”