Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS)

Why in News?

The government has proposed the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS).

• It aims to strengthen domestic production of shipping containers, reduce import dependence and enhance the resilience of India’s trade and logistics network.
• The scheme will have an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years.
• It will provide financial and institutional support for setting up new manufacturing facilities and expanding existing units.
• It aims to expand India’s annual domestic production capacity to around 7.5 lakh Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
• India currently imports nearly two million empty containers annually to meet domestic requirements and for repositioning.
• Shipping containers are standardized steel freight units that enable cargo to move between ships, railways and road vehicles without the need for unloading and repacking.
• The 20-foot and 40-foot containers are the most commonly used sizes, with capacity measured in TEUs.
• It is part of a wider effort to strengthen India’s maritime and logistics infrastructure under initiatives such as the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, PM Gati Shakti, the National Logistics Policy and the Sagarmala Programme.
• In July 2026, the country’s first India-manufactured EXIM shipping container for global shipping major A.P. Moller–Maersk was rolled out at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.
• Digital initiatives including One Nation One Port Process, the Maritime Single Window and e-Samudra are also aimed at simplifying procedures.
• The wider reforms also include the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 and Indian Ports Act, 2025, aimed at updating the regulatory framework for shipping, coastal trade and port governance.

Reference

Business Standard | Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme