Infrastructure of ports in India

A nation's wellness lies on its functionality of various sectors. Amongst them is the port and shipping sector which spreads through 7,000 km long in Indian coastline. It has 12 major ports and 187 minor/intermediate ports. The major ports handle some 75% of the total Indian port traffic. Indian Ports are the gateways to India's international trade by sea and are handling over 90% of foreign trade. Dry and liquid bulk make up about 80 percent of the port traffic in volume with general cargo, including the containerized cargo, constituting the remaining traffic. Though the bulk of Indian trade is carried by sea routes, the existing port infrastructure is insufficient to handle trade flows effectively and thus there is just an increase of one percent in the volume of containers handled by major ports in India. Hence a well developed Indian port sector is expected for the foreseen growth of our economy