Government presents the new draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways had presented the draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 which aims at abolishing the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and substituting it with a more relevant and contemporary act addressing present and future needs.The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 seeks to bolster structured growth and sustainable development of ports to garner enhanced investments in the port sector. It also seeks to optimise utilisation of the Indian coastline by effective administration and management of ports. Moreover, introduction of this statutory bill will help produce a refined and comprehensive regulatory blueprint for new ports and management of existing ones. If realised, these measures will further boost the investment prospects in Indian maritime and ports sector.
The bill seeks to create a conducive environment for continued growth and sustained development of ports sector in India through the following methods:
*Constitution of Maritime Port Regulatory Authority
*Formulation of National Port Policy and National Port plan
*Formulation of specialised Adjudicatory Tribunals namely Maritime Ports Tribunal and Maritime Ports Appellate Tribunal.