New Delhi: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has sanctioned 129 projects worth ₹9,053.56 crore under the Sagarmala programme, with financial assistance of ₹3,346 crore provided by the ministry, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Out of the total, 78 projects costing ₹5,356.89 crore have already been completed, with the ministry contributing ₹1,801.10 crore towards their implementation, the minister said.

According to the government, an independent impact assessment of the Sagarmala scheme conducted by the National Productivity Council found that the projects have led to employment generation, higher incomes, faster turnaround time for vessels, and increased cargo handling capacity at ports. These improvements have also helped in reducing overall logistics costs, the report noted.

The minister further stated that 19 road and rail connectivity projects worth ₹1,496.97 crore have been approved under the scheme, with central financial support of ₹365.56 crore. These projects are aimed at improving cargo evacuation and reducing congestion at major and non-major ports across the country.

The Sagarmala programme is the Centre’s flagship initiative focused on port-led development, capacity augmentation, and strengthening multimodal connectivity to support growing freight and trade demand. DeshBharat