Centre clears Major Ports Authority Bill

News: The Union Cabinet has approved the Major Ports Authority Bill 2020. At present, major ports are regulated by the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963

Facts:

Aim: to provide for regulation, operation and planning of Major Ports in India

Features:

• vests the administration, control and management of such ports upon the Boards of Major Port Authorities
• empowers the Board of Port Authority to raise loans and issue securities for the purposes of the capital expenditure and working capital requirements of such port authority.
• seeks to constitute an Adjudicatory Board for adjudication of disputes among major ports, Public Private Partnership concessionaries and captive users
• provides for the provision for Corporate Social Responsibility measures within the port limits.

Additional Information

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).