Northeast India invited to tap into job opportunities at India’s ‘biggest port’

MUMBAI — Unmesh Sharad Wagh, the Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), has extended an open invitation to the people of Northeast India to explore employment opportunities at the upcoming Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra.

Wagh highlighted the massive scale of the project, stating that the port, envisioned as India’s largest, will require a workforce of approximately 12 lakh people.

During an interaction with media personnel from Northeast India on Friday at the JNPA office in Mumbai, he emphasised the port’s potential to generate employment for people across India. He specifically addressed the Northeast region, assuring residents that JNPA is committed to their development and is ready to provide free skill training to equip them for roles in the logistics sector.

“We want the people of the Northeast to learn about the logistics sector, which is a service sector,” he stated, adding that the sector offers good remuneration and that people from the region can adapt to the environment quickly.

The JNPA is responsible for the construction of the deep-sea port at Vadhavan in Palghar district, Maharashtra. Wagh reiterated the immense employment potential of the project, stating, ‘India is building the biggest port in India, and we require so much employment.”

“We can impart the required skill set for free if the people are willing,” he added.

The media delegation, currently on a tour organised by the Press Information Bureau, also visited the Maersk APM Terminal after their interaction with the JNPA Chairman.

Earlier, on Thursday, the media personnel visited the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Mumbai. During their visit, Inspector General Bhisham Sharma encouraged them to promote the Coast Guard as a career option for the people of the region. Sharma highlighted the crucial role of the ICG in safeguarding India’s maritime interests and urged more youth from the region to consider serving the nation through this profession.

The ICG officers briefed the media delegation on various maritime challenges, including unregulated fishing, drug trafficking, and other transnational crimes. They also shared the ICG’s achievements in combating these threats, stating that since 2017, they have seized narcotics worth INR 16,546.26 crore. They also highlighted the rescue of 14,566 lives since 2015 and the apprehension of 13,647 foreign fishers since the ICG’s inception.

Among others, the media tour, which began on Thursday, also included visits to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, the Press Information Bureau’s western regional office, the Bombay Municipal Corporation’s heritage building, and the Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai.