Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal attends 7th convocation of Indian Maritime University (IMA)
Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal announced multiple initiatives at the Indian Maritime University’s (IMU) 7th convocation in Chennai,Tamil Nadu today. A Centre for Policy Research in Maritime Studies (C-PRiMeS) of IMU was also inaugurated by the Union Minister.The C-PRiMeS centre will undertake maritime studies and act as a think tank for the development of the marine economy.
To supplement the vision of Sagarmala programme of the Government, multiple initiatives were announced open by Shri Sonowal to unlock the huge potential of Blue Economy of Indian Ocean at the IMU convocation today.Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sonowal, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to attend this important event here today. As India works through the Amrit Kaal to become an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the role of Blue Economy in propelling the growth story of India is immense. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the Ministry is working to strengthen the coastal economy of the country through its Sagarmala programme. While improve our infrastructure, we must equip ourselves to secure optimum utilisation of the opportunity at hand as Ocean based Blue Economy is the next sunrise sector for development.” Adding on the new opportunities from marine sectors, the Union Minister said, “Apart from traditional sectors like shipping, offshore mineral exploration, fishing, undersea cable and tourism, we must equip our economy to take the best advantage from the upcoming sectors like Aqua culture, marine biotechnology, ocean energy and sea bed mining etc.
This can be done only through training our talent pool with the best possible knowledge and training on modern marine technologies which is being made possible here at IMU. I am confident that we will continue to work towards enabling our students and cadets with the best possible training so that the ultimate objective of marine economy led growth can be unlocked for the growth of the Indian economy.In order to improve the training module with an aim to expose the students to the best minds of the sector, the students are being imparted training under the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) scheme. In order to strengthen the capacity of IMU in industrial research, consultancy and policy studies, the IMU with the support of the Institute of Marine Engineers India (IME-I) has established a Chair position, and with the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI), the professional exposure for cadets and students are being done. A Cumulative Professional Development Allowance (CPDA) of ?3 lakhs for three years for the training of faculty has also been introduced. The IMU also has a tie up with the National Institute of Advanced Study (NIAS), Bengaluru and Research & Information System (RIS), New Delhi to work on the policy research of the maritime economy. A Career Advancement Scheme at IMU for fast track career growth of faculty, nomination of students for various training programmes has been going on at Antwerp Port Training Centre in Belgium.
