Major ports in India
Maritime transportation accounted for approximately 95 percent of India’s trade by volume and 70 percent by value. There are 12 major ports in the country, each of which is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by India’s central government. They undertook the majority of the India’s maritime trade. Among these ports, Deendayal Port and Paradip Port, located in Gujarat and Odisha respectively, stood out as the leaders in terms of the amount of cargo handled. Among the privately operated ports, Adani Ports and SEZ Limited’s Mundra Port, also located in Gujarat, saw the highest cargo volume.Government policies on maritime ports
In 2017, the Indian government launched the Sagar Mala Program, meaning “the garland of the sea”. It was an ambitious project for port development as well as growth of related logistic hubs, with a total amount of investment of 8.5 trillion Indian rupees. In 2021, the Government of India revealed the Maritime India Vision 2030. It has listed more than 150 initiatives for the further development of the country’s maritime sector. Furthermore, the ports and shipping sector is allowed for 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) under both government and automatic routes.
