Maritime technology centre at IIT Kharagpur to bring India on par with Germany, Russia: Mandaviya

To catapult India into the league of nations like Germany, Belgium and Russia that possess advanced maritime technology, the government has decided to set up a state-of-the-art centre for shipping research at IIT Kharagpur, Union Minister Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said Wednesday.

The centre, under the Make in India programme, will not only boost vessels based on electricity, battery and LNG but will also be developed as a hub for global research for vessel designs, he said after the Ministry of Shipping inked a pact with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, here.

"To boost 'Make in India' drive of the Prime Minister and develop advanced vessels on the latest technology here in India, we will set up Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT) at IIT Kharagpur. So far, only a few nations such as Germany, Netherlands, Russia and Belgium possess these technologies and excel in martime research," Mandaviya said while addressing media.

He said not only the Centre will boost the domestic shipbuilding industry but would also promote advanced ships on electricity, battery and LNG and will ultimately be developed as a global hub.

Indigenous technology is the need of the hour for the maritime sector, and the government is determined to promote Make In India as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said