PM lays Foundation Stones of JNPT SEZ and Port Connectivity Road project; hands over letters of land allotment to Project Affected Persons.

Lays stress on port-led development, SEZ revival, export promotion and development of shipbuilding industry.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, today laid the Foundation Stone of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Special Economic Zone (SEZ) , at Sheva in Navi Mumbai.

He also laid the Foundation Stone for widening of Port Connectivity Road from JNPT to the National Highway and symbolically handed over land allotment letters to JNPT Project Affected Persons under the 12.5 % scheme.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi symbolically presented land allotment letters to Project Affected Persons of JNPT under the 12.5% scheme.  Mumbai, August 16, 2014

Addressing a large public gathering at the function site, the Prime Minister said his Government had conceived the Sagarmala, an ambitious project for maritime states. This would envisage not merely port development, but port-led development which would include ports, SEZs; and rail, road, air and waterway connectivity with the hinterland, including linkages of cold storage and warehousing facilities.

Noting that two-thirds of all global trade, and 50 percent of container trade happens through the Indian Ocean, Mr. Modi highlighted the importance of the ports sector. “Ports can become gateways to India’s prosperity,” he added.

The Prime Minister said the Government is concerned at the large number of stalled SEZ projects across the country, and a high-level team has been constituted to review the problems and resolve them at the earliest.

 Union Minister for Shipping , Transport and High Ways Shri Nitin Gadkari addressing the gathering  at foundation laying ceremony of JNPT SEZ  at  Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai on August 16, 2014.

The Prime Minister said export promotion was the need of the hour. “Until we join manufacturers in export promotion, and unless States and Centre work together, we cannot achieve new heights in exports” he observed. The Prime Minister added that the Union Government had recently convened a meeting with States to understand bottlenecks in exports, and States would soon be given the right to form their own Export Promotion Councils. “Let there be competition among States for exports,” the Prime  Minister said.

The Government had recently done away with the requirement of renewal of shipping licenses every year, and now the license would be granted for a lifetime, Mr Narendra Modi said, praising Union Minister for Shipping Mr Nitin Gadkari for this move. He added that his Government wishes to create an environment for ease of business, and  encouragement for youth.

The Prime Minister said that shipbuilding is now a big opportunity. Noting the strides that South Korea has taken in shipbuilding, the Prime Minister said India should also try to do so.  Elaborating his theme of “Come, Make in India”, which he mentioned during his Independence Day address, the Prime Minister said his Government will encourage foreign investment in shipbuilding.

Mr  Narendra Modi also said that this was his first public function in Maharashtra after taking over as Prime Minister and he was indeed fortunate that it is in Raigad district, a place closely associated with the great Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Welcoming the Prime Minister, the Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Mr Nitin Gadkari, told the large gathering that the JNPT SEZ would provide employment to 1.5 lakh people.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, also addressed the gathering, on the occasion.

The Rs 4000 crore JNPT SEZ industrial infrastructure will be spread over 277 hectares and will be located near the port. It is planned as a self-sustainable integrated development project having potential to generate 1.5 lakh direct and indirect jobs.  The SEZ will be developed through a Special Purpose Vehicle under the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode and is expected to be ready in three years.

The Rs 1,926 crore port connectivity highway project taken up under the National Highway Development and Port Connectivity Programme envisages construction of 6/8 lane highway with necessary flyovers, railway over bridges and inter-changes to ensure uninterrupted flow of traffic bound to and from the JNPT port. It will be completed by December 2017.