New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal will chair the meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee on Friday, according to an official statement.

The National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) provides policy directions and guidance for port-led development projects in the country and reviews their implementation.

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According to the statement, the committee shall review the Sagarmala programme and the development of port-linked road and rail connectivity project, development of floating jetties and inland waterways.

Holistic development of coastal communities through a new initiative -- 'Sagartat Samriddhi Yojana' -- will also be taken up for discussion in the meeting, it said.

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The statement said this apex committee meeting is expected to propel the Sagarmala Project implementation to further heights at a time when the prime minister is giving focused attention in ensuring timely completion of implementing projects and incorporating new projects for maritime development through PM Gati Shakti initiative. In its previous two meetings, NSAC has provided the necessary platform and thrust for the Sagarmala initiative. This meeting will analyse the progress on various decisions taken during earlier meetings.

Friday's meeting will be attended by Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnav, among others.

Sagarmala is a national programme aimed at accelerating economic development in the country by harnessing the potential of India's 7,500 km long coastline and 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways announced by the prime minister in 2014 and approved by the Union Cabinet on March 25, 2015.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)