The Sagarmala Programme is a flagship scheme of the Government of India, approved by the Union Cabinet on March 25, 2015, and administered by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The name, combining sagar (sea) and mala (garland), signals its strategic objective of integrating India's 7,517-kilometre coastline, 12 major ports, and roughly 200 non-major ports into a cohesive logistics network. The scheme was created to solve the problem of high logistics costs for both domestic and EXIM (Export-Import) cargo by shifting freight from congested road and rail networks to more cost-effective coastal shipping and inland waterways. Its conceptual roots trace back to a vision first articulated in 2003.
The mechanism of the scheme is structured around five strategic pillars, detailed in the National Perspective Plan (NPP) released in April 2016: Port Modernization and New Port Development, Port Connectivity Enhancement, Port-Led Industrialization, Coastal Community Development, and Coastal Shipping & Inland Waterways Transport. The scheme aims to reduce logistics costs and time by developing port-proximate industrial capacities, such as Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs), and improving hinterland connectivity through multimodal transport.
The program connects to a multi-tiered governance structure, with the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) providing policy direction and the Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), incorporated in 2016 under the Companies Act, acting as the nodal agency for implementation and equity support. Recently, the SDCL was restructured in June 2025 and transformed into the Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL), India's first Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) dedicated to the maritime sector. Building on the initial success, the government has unveiled Sagarmala 2.0, which focuses on strengthening port-led growth, inland waterways, and green shipping under the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The scheme is also closely related to the expansion of National Waterways, which increased from 5 to 111 under the National Waterways Act, 2016.