What happened
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, and the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, reviewed progress on establishing the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS). The proposed body is meant to strengthen security at ports and around ships, including inspection and information-sharing functions.
The government has placed the BoPS within a statutory framework under Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025. The Bureau will function under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and will be headed by a Director General.
Key features announced in the review
The Home Minister said that port security should be entrusted only to licensed private security agencies, and that only private security personnel trained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) should be deployed.
He also directed that training for the Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) should begin at the earliest using existing infrastructure. He further asked for a database of all security personnel to be deployed under the BoPS.
Related current affairs
- Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 notified; seafarer safety framework and DGS advisories for conflict-sensitive regions
- Much more than ‘Melbourne meets Modi’: India–Australia partnership expands in security, business, education and culture
- Beyond warm optics: turning India–Australia convergence into durable alignment
- 7th High-Level Meeting between Indian Coast Guard and Vietnam Coast Guard held in Chennai
- Eyes on the seas
- Unimpeded trade needs IPMDA as the answer