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Sagarmala Programme
Claim
Partly accurate
Delivery
Partly delivered
Port capacity nearly doubled over a decade, not over the five years promised. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways told Parliament on 8 August 2025 that 'The overall capacity of Major Ports has increased from 871.52 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY 2014-15 to 1680.94 MTPA in FY 2024-25, representing an increase of 93%.' That is measured from 2014-15, not from 2019 when the doubling promise was made, and the answer publishes no figure for the promise's own five-year window. Note also the scope: 'Major Ports' are the twelve centrally administered ports; the roughly 200 non-major ports run by states, which handle a large share of India's cargo, are outside this figure.
“Potential of coastal development for transportation, tourism and for economic upliftment of coastal communities has remained unexploited in the country. To exploit this potential fully, we have launched the Sagarmala programme and will ensure speedy completion of the projects under this programme. We will double our port capacity in the next five years.”No CAG performance audit published
No CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published. The absence of an audit is not evidence that the claim is either accurate or inaccurate.
No CAG audit of the Sagarmala programme covering this period has been tabled in a report we hold. The figures here are the implementing ministry's own.
No audit period to plot — no CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published.
Major port capacity 1,680.94 MTPA in 2024-25, up from 871.52 MTPA in 2014-15 — a 93 per cent increase
Capacity is what ports can handle, not what they do handle. The answer reports no throughput figure and no utilisation rate, so how much of the added capacity is in use is not established.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3286, Expansion of Port Capacity — answer by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
A note on the claim. This entry was imported as a 2014 promise about Sagarmala. The programme is not in the 2014 manifesto — it was announced in 2015 and approved by Cabinet in 2016. The 2019 manifesto does name it, alongside a measurable commitment, and that is what this entry grades: "we have launched the Sagarmala programme and will ensure speedy completion of the projects under this programme. We will double our port capacity in the next five years."
Doubling capacity in five years, from 2019, is the testable part.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways answered a question on exactly this on 8 August 2025: "The overall capacity of Major Ports has increased from 871.52 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY 2014-15 to 1680.94 MTPA in FY 2024-25, representing an increase of 93%."
Read the years. That is a ten-year comparison, not the five-year window the promise set. The ministry chose 2014-15 as its base, and the answer gives no figure for 2019-20 — so whether capacity doubled between 2019 and 2024 cannot be determined from it. Ninety-three per cent over a decade is a substantial expansion; it is not the claim that was made.
Two further limits on what this number covers.
Scope. "Major Ports" means the twelve ports administered by the central government. India's roughly 200 non-major ports, run by state maritime boards, handle a large and growing share of national cargo — Mundra alone rivals the largest major port. A capacity figure that excludes them is not national port capacity.
Use. Capacity is what a port could handle. The answer reports no throughput and no utilisation rate, so how much of the 809 MTPA added is actually being used is unknown. Berths and dredging that run below capacity are a real risk in port investment and the answer does not address it.
On the rest of the promise — speedy completion of Sagarmala projects, and the coastal community and tourism objectives the manifesto attaches to it — this answer says nothing, and no consolidated national figure for Sagarmala project completion appears in any document we hold.
Our verdict is partly accurate.
BJP Sankalp Patra 2019 — Lok Sabha election manifesto
“Through this Sankalp Patra, you would get a glimpse of the challenges of the yesteryears, the indomitable efforts made by 130 crore Indians to overcome those challenges and our collective vision for the future… There are two commitments that I am extremely passionate about — doubling of farmer income and housing for all, by the year 2022.”
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3286, Expansion of Port Capacity — answer by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
“Yes, Capacity augmentation is a continuous process across all Major Ports. The Government has taken several steps to expand the cargo handling capacity of all major ports in the country through modernization, mechanization, construction of new berths and terminals, capital dredging, and enhancement of road and rail connectivity. The overall capacity of Major Ports has increased from 871.52 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY 2014-15 to 1680.94 MTPA in FY 2024-25, representing an increase of 93%.”