Gadkari asked state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis,

who was also present at the function, to form a joint venture company with JNPT for this.

Gadkari said JNPT will close 2016-17 with a profit of Rs 1,300 crore and made a commitment to invest back all of it for the development of the state.

He said all public sector enterprises, including ports and shipyards under his ministry, will be earning a profit of Rs 7,000 crore this fiscal year, up from Rs 6,000 crore in 2015-16.

His ministry has already awarded projects worth Rs 1 trillion under the Sagarmala project and plans to award Rs 2 trillion more in the next two years, he added.

Rail minister Suresh Prabhu, who was also present, said the Railways has been suffering for the last two years as it is not able to find takers for a large cargo capacity which it has created.

He expressed happiness at more steel plants coming up, saying it presents an opportunity for the Railways.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)