Rs 4,800 Cr for Assam Waterways Development: Sonowal

Guwahati, Feb 26 (PTI) Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday that the Centre will spend Rs 4,800 crore for developing waterways and related infrastructure in Assam in the next five years.

The ports, shipping and waterways minister was speaking at a session on the state's road, railway and riverine infrastructure at the 'Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit' here.

"I want to announce that in the next five years, Rs 4,800 crore will be spent by my ministry in Assam," Sonowal said.

The amount will be spent on various works, like building a ship repair facility, construction of alternate roads for ports and development of terminals.

Sonowal said a centre of excellence in maritime education will also be established in the state, which will provide 5,000 skilled youth to the shipping industry annually.

The union minister also highlighted the importance of waterways in economic development and maintained that the sector has received a major boost since the BJP-led government took over in 2014.

"India is aiming to become a leading maritime nation by 2030 and also one of the top five shipbuilding nations," he added.