Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal today unveiled the ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ (SMS), a policy initiative of the Government of India to create a future-ready, gender-equitable maritime workforce with the ultimate aim to increase participation of women in the maritime sector. The initiative was launched at the inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime celebrations in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that India’s maritime sector has witnessed a surge of women seafarers from 341 in 2014 to 2557 in 2024, recording a whopping growth of 649%. He added that the engagement of Indian female seafarers on Indian and foreign-flagged ships is continuously increasing. Mr Sonowal highlighted that the development of women in various fields is a top priority for the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

During the celebrations of the ‘International Day for Women in Maritime’, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also honoured and felicitated outstanding women of the Indian maritime sector.