₹10,000 Crore Budget boost: Sarbananda Sonowal engages industry to accelerate domestic container manufacturing
MUMBAI : Hon’ble Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, held a high-level interaction with global container manufacturers, leading shipping lines, MSMEs and key industry stakeholders following the landmark announcement of ₹10,000 crore Budgetary support for domestic container manufacturing.
The meeting focused on operationalising the Budget allocation and charting a clear roadmap to strengthen India’s self-reliance in container production, reduce import dependence and enhance competitiveness in global trade logistics.
Addressing the stakeholders, Shri Sonowal underscored that the ₹10,000 crore support marks a transformative step towards building a robust domestic container manufacturing ecosystem. He highlighted that strengthening local manufacturing capacity will help stabilize container availability, reduce logistics costs and ensure supply chain resilience for exporters and importers.
The discussions covered critical areas including:
Scaling up manufacturing capacity through public–private partnerships
Technology transfer and adoption of global best practices
Incentives for MSME participation in container components and fabrication
Development of container testing, certification and quality standards infrastructure
Integration of domestic container production with India’s expanding port and multimodal logistics network
Industry representatives welcomed the Budget announcement and shared recommendations on policy clarity, financing mechanisms, cluster-based manufacturing models and export potential for India-made containers.
The Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to creating a globally competitive maritime ecosystem under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He noted that India’s ports, shipping, shipbuilding and logistics sectors are undergoing rapid transformation, aligned with the vision of Vikas and Aatmanirbharta.
Shri Sonowal emphasized that enhanced domestic container manufacturing will complement major national initiatives including port-led development, multimodal connectivity expansion and strengthening India’s role in global value chains.
The interaction concluded with a commitment to continued consultation with industry stakeholders to ensure timely implementation of the Budget initiative and to position India as a significant hub for container manufacturing in the coming years.
