Mumbai, Oct. 15 -- Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said that India is targeting global leadership in the maritime sector by 2047 with planned investments worth Rs.80 lakh crore and creation of 15 million jobs. "In the next five years, we are looking to be part of the list of top 10 ship-building nations, and by 2047, among the top five ship-building nations. To achieve this, we are expecting an investment of Rs.80,000 lakh crore in the next 25 years," Sonowal told reporters in Mumbai, while reviewing preparations for the India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025, scheduled from October 27-31. Sonowal also held a meeting with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, following which Fadnavis urged the central government to establish a permanent centre in Mumbai to host the annual India Maritime Week. Such a centre would help Maharashtra grow on a global scale and position India Maritime Week as an international theme and brand, Fadnavis said. Two out of four editions of the maritime week were held in Mumbai, in 2016 and 2023, whereas in 2021, the event was completely virtual owing to pandemic-related restrictions. This year's maritime week will be inaugurated by union home minister Amit Shah. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the event, which will bring together over 100,000 delegates and 500 exhibitors from more than 100 countries. "For the Maritime Week, we have set a target of investment proposals and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs.10 lakh crore, which we will exceed," the union minister said. "It will be a big achievement and position us as a major player in the global map." Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 was already translating into results as cargo movement on inland waterways had grown eightfold since 2014, turnaround time at major ports had reduced by 60%, and Sagarmala projects worth more than Rs.5.5 lakh crore were reshaping coastal logistics. Vijay Kumar, secretary, ministry for ports, shipping and waterways, said the investments will cover the entire ecosystem of the shipping industry - including Rs.3 lakh crore for ship building and shipping clusters, Rs.2 lakh crore for sustainability of the sector, Rs.2 lakh crore for port modernisation, and Rs.1 lakh crore for digitisation of ports. Sixty percent of the MoUs worth Rs.10 lakh crore signed during the India Maritime Week 2023 have been realised and the rest are in the process of realisation, Kumar said....