Sarbananda Sonowal Chairs Inaugural 'Sagar Samvad' of the National Shipping Board in New Delhi

27 August 2026National

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways) chaired the inaugural edition of Sagar Samvad, organised by the National Shipping Board (NSB) at the Civil Services Officers Institute, New Delhi. The day-long event carried the theme "Charting the Roadmap Towards Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047". Sonowal launched the NSB's first official website and outlined a five-point roadmap covering fiscal reforms, assured cargo support, competitive financing, regulatory simplification and ease of doing business, alongside a target to add 100 new vessels to India's merchant fleet over five years.

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The National Shipping Board is a statutory advisory body first constituted under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, and now functions under the re-enacted Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 | Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 are the ministry's long-term maritime roadmaps | The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways was renamed from the Ministry of Shipping in 2020

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