President Murmu Addresses 8th Convocation of IMU Chennai

President of India Draupadi Murmu attended the 8th convocation of the Indian Maritime University (IMU), Chennai and addressed the gathering on October 27, 2023. During this, President Murmu informed the people about many facts.

Highlights of the 8th Convocation of IMU Chennai:

• During this function, 10 gold and 10 silver medals were awarded to meritorious students. With this, 1,944 eligible students from four schools across IMU's six campuses as well as IMU affiliated institutions received their degrees.

Sarbananda Sonowal lays the foundation stone of two projects:

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal attended the event as the guest of honour.
• During the event, Sonowal also laid the foundation stone of Innovation Lab costing Rs 6.8 crore and Admin Block 'C' costing Rs 21.25 crore.

Some important facts put forth by President Draupadi Murmu:

• During her address, the President said that India's maritime position is critical with a 7,500 km long coastline and 1,382 offshore islands.
• Apart from its strategic location on major maritime trade routes, India has 14,500 km long potentially navigable waterways.

Important role of maritime sector in the trade & economic development

• The country's maritime sector plays an important role in its trade and economic development.
• Because 95 percent of the country's trade in terms of quantity and 65 percent of trade in terms of value is done through sea transport.

India is the second largest fish producing country in the world:

• The coastal economy in India supports more than 40 lakh fishermen.
• India is the world's second largest fish producer with a fleet of about 2,50,000 fishing boats.
• China has the highest position among the world's largest fishing countries.

Obstacles in India's maritime trade:

• The President said that before we can fully harness the potential of this sector, we have to overcome many challenges.
• She said that a lot of container ship cargo is diverted to nearby foreign ports due to depth restrictions.
• She further said that in the merchant and civil shipbuilding industry, we need to aim for the highest standards of efficiency, efficacy and competitiveness.
• The operational efficiency and turnaround time of Indian ports needs to match the global average benchmark.
• Indian ports need to address infrastructure and operational challenges before reaching the next level.
• The Sagarmala program is an important step from “port development” to “port led development”.

Climate disaster a major obstacle to maritime trade:

• One of the most pressing challenges of the present time is the climate emergency involving rising temperatures and sea levels. 
• The maritime sector needs to be agile, proactive and fast in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Indian Maritime University Chennai (Tamil Nadu):

• Despite being one of the youngest central universities, Indian Maritime University has proved its worth.
• It has the potential to shine as a globally acclaimed center of excellence for maritime education, research, training, academic partnerships and capacity building, while expanding its expertise in allied disciplines such as maritime law, ocean governance and oceanography.

Indian Maritime University (IMU), Chennai: 

• IMU was established on November 14, 2008 as a central university by merging seven legacy institutions to provide excellent maritime education, training and research.