NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rechristened "Ministry of Shipping" to "Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways".
The announcement was made after Modi inaugurated Ropax ferry services between Surat and Saurashtra in Gujarat, through video conferencing. Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani also attended the event.
This ferry service will reduce the distance between Surat and Saurashtra from 317 km (by road) to just 60 kilometres, informed Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Shipping Minister on Saturday.
A large number of people from Saurashtra have settled in Surat and are working in the diamond industry. There are about 5,000 buses plying daily between this route which takes around 10 to 12 hours, Mandaviya informed.
(With ANI inputs)