Union Minister of Ports Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on 28 January 2026 described the President’s address to Parliament as a clear and visionary articulation of the Government of India’s long-term policy commitment to strengthening the maritime sector inland waterways and the blue economy. He said the address reaffirmed the national strategy to build globally competitive logistics and shipping capabilities while promoting sustainable growth employment generation and regional development.
Reacting to the address President Droupadi Murmu delivered to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the expansion of national waterways major shipping reforms and focused investment in ports and logistics reflect a coherent and future-oriented policy direction aimed at positioning India as a global maritime hub.
The President in her address underscored the renewed national focus on maritime development inland water transport and the blue economy. Highlighting infrastructure expansion over the past decade she said India had only five national waterways earlier which have now crossed the mark of 100. She noted that this expansion has significantly benefited states in eastern India including Uttar Pradesh West Bengal and Bihar by emerging as logistics hubs easing pressure on road and rail networks and reducing transportation costs.
President Murmu also drew attention to the growing role of cruise tourism in strengthening regional and local economies. She said cruise tourism is contributing to increased tourism activity in riverine and coastal regions thereby generating livelihoods and supporting economic development in surrounding areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the President’s address reflected the government’s development priorities and future policy direction. He noted that the address holds special importance in parliamentary tradition as it outlines the collective resolve and roadmap that will guide the nation’s developmental journey in the coming months while reflecting India’s recent development trajectory.
The President further highlighted efforts to strengthen the blue economy and expand livelihood opportunities linked to agriculture and allied sectors. She said farmers are increasingly being connected to livestock fisheries and beekeeping as additional avenues of economic progress. She also referred to new policies framed to extend the benefits of the Exclusive Economic Zone to coastal fishermen and to enable utilisation of high seas resources.
Addressing long-standing structural challenges in the shipping sector President Murmu noted that India had lost much of its maritime dominance following decades of neglect after colonisation. She pointed out that nearly 95 percent of India’s trade is currently carried on foreign ships with more than six lakh crore rupees spent annually. She said the government is working to reverse this trend through a historic package of around seventy thousand crore rupees for the shipping sector granting infrastructure status to large ships and modernising outdated maritime laws.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the expansion from five to over 100 national waterways has opened new economic corridors strengthened multimodal logistics and positioned inland waterways as a sustainable and cost-effective mode of transport. He added that focused investment in ports shipping and cruise tourism is creating employment opportunities boosting coastal economies and supporting inclusive regional development.
“With large-scale reforms infrastructure investment and modernised maritime laws India is steadily moving toward reclaiming its position as a global maritime nation,” Sarbananda Sonowal said.
