The 21st Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) meeting was held in Mumbai with landmark outcomes for India’s maritime sector. In a major step towards ease of doing business, the Council resolved that the One Nation One Port Process (ONOP) reforms, including One Nation One Documentation, Port Process Re-engineering, and Inter-ministerial Process Reforms, to be implemented across all ports by March 2027.
To support uniform implementation, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the ‘Ready Reckoner for Implementing ONOP’ – a comprehensive guide for major and other than major ports. Transparency of port tariffs through electronic publication was also mandated. The council resolved that all ports shall integrate with the Maritime Single Window (MSW-Sagar Setu) by March 2027, ensuring unified digital processes nationwide.
The Council’s resolutions today mark a decisive step towards integrated maritime growth and port-led industrialisation. The MSDC meeting brought together Ministers of Coastal States, Administrators of Union Territories, senior officials of State Maritime Boards, Chairpersons of Major Ports, allied maritime institutions, and representatives of Central Ministries such as Kanubhai Desai, Finance Minister of Gujarat; Digambar V Kamat, Minister (Ports), Government of Goa; Nitesh Rane, Minister of Fisheries and Ports Development, Government of Maharashtra; Malladi Krishna Rao, Minister from Puducherry. “The Indian Ports Act gave the MSD council its legal foundation. The Council gave particular emphasis to port connectivity, shipbuilding and cruise shipping. It resolved to prioritise connectivity projects under Sagarmala, implement the National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan, promote modal shift of cargo to coastal shipping, facilitate development of shipbuilding, ship-repair and recycling clusters, and leverage the Maritime Development Fund, Ship-building Development Scheme and Ship-building Financial Assistance Programme for financing.
With the adoption of MIV 2030 and MAKV 2047 targets, India’s ports and shipping sector will be future-ready, competitive and aligned with global standards.
Sonowal, in a statement, said, “The MSDC has now entered a new statutory phase, strengthening cooperative federalism in maritime governance. Today the Centre and the coastal states turned that foundation into a shared work plan, with deadlines every one of us has agreed to meet…”This is cooperative federalism in maritime governance, delivering for our ports and for port-led industrialisation,” Sonowal said.
