Sagarmala project focuses on Goa's coastal community development

The chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, highlighted the importance of developing coastal communities during a recent meeting about the Sagarmala project. This project aims to improve India's ports and coastal areas. Sawant attended this meeting in New Delhi, which included senior government officials and representatives from coastal states. Sawant explained that the Sagarmala project focuses on enhancing skills, promoting social inclusion, and boosting economic growth in coastal regions. He mentioned exploring new services like Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) and the Water Metro to improve transportation. Last year, a commitment was made to invest Rs 24,000 crore in Goa under the Sagarmala initiative. Sawant pointed out that various projects have started, including modernizing ports and strengthening jetties to support tourism and daily travel. The goal is to encourage industrial development linked to ports, which could increase exports. In addition to the Sagarmala discussions, Sawant also met with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to talk about highway development in Goa. They focused on improving infrastructure and connectivity in the state. Earlier, Sawant met with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss railways in Goa. They considered expanding services, adding fast trains on certain routes, and upgrading railway stations, including the Margao station through a public-private partnership model.