Mission Samudra is set to tie every Kerala port into one maritime economy and promise a lakh jobs by 2031

29 October 2026

Replying in the Legislative Assembly to a submission by Congress MLA A D Thomas, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan described Mission Samudra as a five-year maritime economic transformation initiative that will bring every major and minor port in the State into a single plan. He said it is wider than fisheries and covers the whole coastal economy, with a target of more than a lakh jobs by 2031. The mission fund for 2026-27 is 400 crore rupees. Work will cover the Vizhinjam International Port and the minor ports, road, rail and waterway links, logistics parks and port-linked cities. A Maritime Cluster Development Programme will set up a Marine Export Zone, a Seafood Park and a Coastal Aquaculture and Marine Food Processing Cluster, with a Coastal Community Livelihood Zone and an Innovation and Skills Zone in each port area. Skill centres will come up at Alappuzha, Aroor and Mararikulam, and Aroor is to be built as a seafood hub, with KASE, CUSAT and KUFOS as training partners.