Lok Sabha Passes Indian Ports Bill 2025

14 Aug 2025 CW Team

The Lok Sabha has passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, a comprehensive legislation designed to consolidate existing port laws, promote integrated development, and ensure optimum utilisation of India’s coastline. The Bill also seeks to establish and empower State Maritime Boards for managing non-major ports and create the Maritime State Development Council to drive coordinated growth in the sector.

Provisions include measures for pollution control, disaster management, security, safety, navigation, and data handling at ports, along with mechanisms for resolving port-related disputes. The legislation also ensures compliance with India’s international maritime obligations.

Replying to the debate, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal described the Bill as a strategic intervention to reposition India’s maritime sector for the 21st century. He noted that India’s coastline is the economic backbone of a Rs 4 trillion economy and has seen remarkable progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Over the past decade, port capacity has risen by 87 per cent, with cargo handling hitting a record 855 million tonnes, and coastal shipping increasing by 180 per cent.

Sonowal stressed that the Indian Ports Act of 1908 is outdated, lacking modern environmental safeguards, long-term planning provisions, and efficient dispute resolution systems. The new legislation focuses on integrated planning between the Centre and States to maximise coastal potential.

During the discussion, BJP’s Dilip Saikia highlighted the Ministry’s achievements, while TDP’s Sribharat Mathukumili welcomed the Bill, noting that ship turnaround time at major ports has halved from 93 hours to 48 hours, and India’s international shipment ranking improved from 44 to 23 in 2023. BJP’s Darshan Singh Choudhary added that the Maritime State Development Council will help formulate joint strategies for port development between the Centre and States.

Infrastructure Transport

10 Jul 2026

Uttar Pradesh unveils infrastructure-led growth roadmap at RAHSTA

Mumbai, 9 July 2026: Uttar Pradesh’s ambitious infrastructure-led growth strategy took centre stage on Day 2 of the 16th RAHSTA Expo, where senior government officials outlined how expressways, industrial corridors and technology-driven governance are transforming the state into one of India's most attractive investment destinations.Delivering the keynote address, Srihari Pratap Shahi, IAS, Additional Chief Executive Officer, Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), highlighted the state's long-term vision of integrating world-class expressways with industrial dev..

NCW closes PRIME Offices Fund at Rs 40 billion

Nuvama and Cushman & Wakefield Management (NCW) has announced the final close of its flagship PRIME Offices Fund at approximately Rs 40 billion, exceeding its original target of Rs 30 billion following strong investor demand.The fund was launched to provide Indian investors with access to institutional-grade commercial office assets across key office markets in the country. According to NCW, the increase in the fund size was supported by strong investor participation and the availability of investment opportunities in India's office sector.The fund has already committed around 45 per cent ..

Mayfair Housing adopts Autodesk Forma for digital project planning

Mayfair Housing has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with Autodesk to deploy Autodesk Forma, an AI-enabled cloud platform, as part of its digital transformation programme aimed at improving project planning and execution across its development and redevelopment portfolio.The platform will be integrated into the company's Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflow to support architects, planners and project teams during the early stages of design and development. Autodesk Forma combines real-world data, environmental simulations and collaborative workflows to facilitate data-d..