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India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launches key tech initiatives to boost efficiency, productivity in major maritime digital push
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, launched multiple tech initiatives to boost efficiency and productivity in a major maritime digital push here on Thursday, an official statement said. The launch of SAGAR SETU platform as well as MoPSW's MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) to develop & establish Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE) are set to make significant strides in digital transformation as well as sustainable infrastructure development. MoPSW and C-DAC signed an MoU to establish a Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE) for the maritime sector. This landmark initiative, announced in New Delhi on 26th June 2025, aims to accelerate digital transformation in India's maritime industry. The DCoE will provide advanced IT solutions, foster innovation, and guide the modernisation of port operations and shipping logistics through emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and Blockchain. Supporting national maritime objectives, the Centre will also prioritise green and sustainable operations, aligning with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways proudly launched the SAGAR SETU platform, marking a new era in India's logistics and maritime ecosystem. The Go-Live of this digital initiative, inaugurated on 26th June 2025 by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, aims to enhance operational efficiency, bring in productivity and ease of doing business (EODB). Aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, SAGAR SETU integrates multiple service providers to offer seamless EXIM-related services. The platform is designed to significantly reduce processing times for vessel and cargo documentation, promoting faster, paperless logistics. Notably, this platform connects over 80 ports and 40 key stakeholders, reflecting broad industry adoption. The 'DRISHTI' Framework was launched to Fast-Track Maritime Goals, providing a comprehensive monitoring framework to accelerate the implementation of Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Inspired by Prime Minister's motto of 'Reform, Perform, Transform, Inform', DRISHTI has been built on four strategic pillars: KPI Monitoring, Achievements Tracking, Organisational Monitoring, and Functional Cell Oversight. Speaking on the occasion, Sarbananda Sonowal said, 'Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, India's maritime sector is undergoing a transformative digital shift. With the launch of SAGAR SETU platform and the Digital Centre of Excellence initiative, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to use modern technology to bring in efficiency, transparency and sustainability. Apart for modernising the port & logistics operations, it will accelerate our journey towards a greener, smarter and an Atmanirbhar maritime economy. Aligned with the goals of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, these efforts represent a significant step towards realising the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat. By embracing emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain, we are building a future-ready infrastructure that empowers our ports, streamlines trade, and strengthens India's position as a global maritime leader.' A standardized Scale of Rates (SOR) template for all Major Ports to enhance transparency and ease of doing business was released. This new SOR aims to address inconsistencies and interpretation issues by providing a uniform structure for port tariffs. Developed after extensive consultations and a comprehensive review of existing SORs and Tariff Guidelines, the template includes standardized definitions and transparent conditions for rate applications. While offering flexibility for ports to adapt to local conditions, the SOR template supports digital integration, facilitating better tariff comparisons and clearer service articulation. This initiative is set to improve trade efficiency and align the port services with evolving market dynamics. Speaking on the launch, the Union Minister of State for MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur said, 'Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, we are standardising processes and digitising systems to make our ports more transparent, efficient, and business-friendly. The new Scale of Rates and tech-led platforms like SAGAR SETU will streamline trade, boost investor confidence, and align our maritime ecosystem with global best practices.' In a parallel but strategically aligned move toward sustainability, India's ambition to become a global leader in green hydrogen has been bolstered with the publication of 'Gateway to Green: Assessing Port Readiness for Green Hydrogen Transition in India.' This pivotal report prepared in collaboration with the Indian Ports Association (IPA), outlines a roadmap for transforming Indian ports into hubs for green hydrogen production, storage, and export. The report identifies strategic action areas such as land facilitation for green hydrogen production, stimulating demand, investing in shared infrastructure, fostering international collaboration, and adopting active investment roles. Indian ports such as VO Chidambaranar Port, Paradip Port, Deendayal Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai, and Cochin are particularly well-positioned to cater to the clean energy demands of East Asia and the European Union. Towards the concluding remark, Sarbananda Sonowal said, 'India's ports are evolving into catalysts of the green hydrogen revolution, a vision of PM Narendra Modi to produce 5 million tons of Green Hydrogen by 2030. This roadmap reflects our commitment to sustainability and energy security, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. By unlocking our ports' potential, we aim to position India as a key global hub for green hydrogen production, storage, and export, build on the natural advantages of India's vibrant maritime ecosystem.' The launch of these initiatives is a testament to the Indian government's commitment to digital empowerment and clean energy leadership. As Minister Sarbananda Sonowal stated, the focus is on ensuring that ports evolve from traditional gateways of trade to catalysts of sustainable development. These ventures not only strengthen India's position in the global logistics landscape but also contribute meaningfully to national economic growth, envisioning a digitally empowered, self-reliant, and environmentally sustainable India. The event was also attended by TR Ramachandran, Secretary, MoPSW along with other senior officials of the ministry. (ANI)
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Creating A Scalable Model For Digital Excellence
Dr Stephen McKeown, Vice President | Managing Director, Allstate Northern Ireland. Digital transformation doesn't happen by accident. It requires bold strategy, clear design principles and the courage to rethink how work gets done. Over the past two years, I've had the privilege of helping lead that kind of transformation at Allstate, where we've built a leading digital center of excellence (DCoE). Our journey offers lessons for any organization aiming to innovate at speed and scale. Choosing A Technology-Led Strategy Most companies have business strategies supported by technology. We made a deliberate and ambitious choice: to build a technology-driven business strategy. That may sound like a subtle distinction, but the impact was profound. Rather than asking how technology could support business goals, we flipped the question: how could technology define them? This led to the implementation of a radically new operating model, one that didn't just change how our technology teams work, but sent ripples through the entire organization. We started by putting the customer at the center of everything. Every decision began with the question: What needs to be true to deliver the best possible experience? Technology must be measured by its ability to create meaningful outcomes, no longer by project delivery metrics. Designing For Excellence When I took on the role of leading Allstate's European technology operations, I knew we couldn't tweak around the edges. Allstate had already been in the region for over 25 years, and our systems supported more than a billion dollars of weekly revenue. But to stay relevant and move forward, we had to adopt a fundamentally new way of working. We grounded our strategy in a few core design principles: • Customer-centricity: We aligned teams to solve customer problems, not to systems or functions. • Outcome orientation: Planning became a continuous cycle of experimentation and delivery focused on business value. • Empowered leadership: We empowered leaders with decision authority and made them practitioners of engineering and design. • Speed through structure: We simplified our technical architecture and team models to remove drag and promote fast, resilient execution. We immediately embedded these shifts into our operations. Executing The Strategy We dramatically simplified our team structures and aligned them to digital product teams. Each team was fully cross-functional and owned the entire product lifecycle—from ideation to design, build, test and operate. We embedded all the necessary skills into teams to eliminate handoffs and delays. We increased efficiency and built in true ownership and accountability. One of the most impactful changes we made was implementing peer review and coaching. Instead of top-down mandates, teams set their own standards, held each other accountable and shared best practices. It created an environment where teams lifted each other up and built a strong sense of mutual responsibility. Building An Architecture For Scale Behind this operating model was a clear architectural vision. We developed a simplified, scalable ecosystem of digital products with well-defined interfaces. That architecture became our North Star, aligning thousands of technologists globally and empowering them to make decisions quickly, confidently and independently. The result was speed, reuse and resiliency. Instead of reinventing the wheel in silos we were sharing solutions, scaling ideas and building systems that could adapt and grow with us. The True Enabler Is Culture None of this would have worked without a cultural shift. We created a culture where people were encouraged to ask, 'What if that was possible?' and empowered to explore their ideas. I watched as people at every level rose to the challenge. Ideas flowed from product engineers to senior leaders, creating a shared sense of bravery, purpose and camaraderie. We fostered a new belief system. A belief that we could move faster, deliver better results for customers and make work more meaningful. And we made that belief real by backing it with structure, support and trust. The Results Even in the early stages, we saw dramatic improvements. Teams were energized, delivery speed increased and customer experiences improved. We built what I now call a value engine, a way of working that feels more like a digital-native organization than a legacy enterprise. But this isn't the end. A digital center of excellence is a continuously evolving system. What matters most is the mindset. We're no longer asking, 'How do we keep up?' Instead, we're asking, 'What else is possible?' If there's one thing I've learned from this journey, it's that strategy is more design than direction. You must build the conditions for excellence into the very structure of your organization. That includes: • Starting with a strategy, not just a list of projects, but a bold shift in how your business operates. • Putting customer value at the center, and organizing around it relentlessly. • Empowering people at every level, giving them both the authority and capability to act quickly. • Creating clarity in architecture and process to support speed and consistency. • Investing in culture because people are your strongest multiplier. We've seen what happens when these pieces come together. We've built something resilient, dynamic and deeply human. And most importantly, we've built something that can grow. Because in the end, a world-leading digital center of excellence isn't just about systems. It's about people, purpose and possibility. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Shipping Ministry hosts workshop on digital transformation to achieve maritime Amrit Kaal vision 2047
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) organised a one-day workshop on IT Procurement and Project Management in New Delhi, aiming to enhance digital efficiency and streamline IT implementation across India's maritime and shipping ecosystem. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack The groundwork before India mounts a strike at Pakistan India considers closing airspace to Pakistani carriers amid rising tensions Cold Start: India's answer to Pakistan's nuclear threats The workshop was virtually inaugurated by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal , who emphasised the transformative role of technology in modernising port operations and enhancing service delivery for stakeholders. TK Ramachandran , Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, addressed the participants and emphasised the importance of innovation, collaboration, and capacity building in accelerating digital transformation within the maritime sector. The event witnessed active participation from senior officials of the Ministry, various ports, and associated organisations. In-depth sessions during the workshop focused on challenges in IT projects, identifying root causes, and exploring actionable solutions to improve project outcomes. Case studies from ongoing Ministry projects were discussed to draw practical insights. Live Events Key highlight of the event was a presentation on the proposed Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE)--envisioned as a dedicated centre for IT project delivery, to be developed with support from CDAC. Live demonstrations were held to showcase innovative digital tools, including SPARSH (Dashboard for Ports) and Counsello, AI-powered platforms developed by startups. Draft IT Procurement Guidelines were also introduced during the session, with participants encouraged to share feedback based on their on-ground experience. The discussions were led by R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary (IT), MoPSW, who reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to building resilient and future-ready digital systems. The workshop concluded with closing remarks by the Secretary of MoPSW, emphasising the need for effective project execution and the integration of next-generation technologies, such as AI, ML, and other indigenous software solutions.
India Gazette
29-04-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Shipping Ministry hosts workshop on digital transformation to achieve maritime Amrit Kaal vision 2047
New Delhi [India], April 29 (ANI): The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) organised a one-day workshop on IT Procurement and Project Management in New Delhi, aiming to enhance digital efficiency and streamline IT implementation across India's maritime and shipping ecosystem. The workshop was virtually inaugurated by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, who emphasised the transformative role of technology in modernising port operations and enhancing service delivery for stakeholders. TK Ramachandran, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, addressed the participants and emphasised the importance of innovation, collaboration, and capacity building in accelerating digital transformation within the maritime sector. The event witnessed active participation from senior officials of the Ministry, various ports, and associated organisations. In-depth sessions during the workshop focused on challenges in IT projects, identifying root causes, and exploring actionable solutions to improve project outcomes. Case studies from ongoing Ministry projects were discussed to draw practical insights. Key highlight of the event was a presentation on the proposed Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE)--envisioned as a dedicated centre for IT project delivery, to be developed with support from CDAC. Live demonstrations were held to showcase innovative digital tools, including SPARSH (Dashboard for Ports) and Counsello, AI-powered platforms developed by startups. Draft IT Procurement Guidelines were also introduced during the session, with participants encouraged to share feedback based on their on-ground experience. The discussions were led by R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary (IT), MoPSW, who reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to building resilient and future-ready digital systems. The workshop concluded with closing remarks by the Secretary of MoPSW, emphasising the need for effective project execution and the integration of next-generation technologies, such as AI, ML, and other indigenous software solutions. (ANI)
