Rajya Sabha on February 10, 2021 passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. The Bill was put to Division Voting wherein 84 members supported the bill and 44 voted against it. The Lok Sabha had on September 23, 2020, passed the Bill.
- The bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in the country and provide greater autonomy to these ports.
- It seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
- The legislation provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.
- The board will have the powers to fix reference tariffs for various port services.
- The Board of each major port shall be entitled to create a specific master plan in respect of any development or infrastructure established or proposed to be established within the port limits and such master plan shall be independent of any local or state government regulations of any authority whatsoever.
- The bill will make the major ports in the country more autonomous and provide major thrust in the maritime sector.
- The bill will help the ports develop world class infrastructure and will also enhance transparency in their functioning.
- The development of ports will pave way for port led development.
- It empowers the ports by making them more competitive when compared to private ports.
- India has 12 major ports — Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).
