 Welcome to news clip. The government of India has recently published a bill titled the Indian Ports Bill 2022. Several organizations including the Water Transport Workers Federation of India and the state governments along the Indian coast have opposed this bill. The organization and the state governments have claimed that this bill will encroach into the powers of the state government and will lead to more privatization of the minor ports as well. To discuss more we have with us Mr. Narendra Rao, the general secretary of the Water Transport Workers Federation of India. Welcome sir. So, to begin with can you just explain what is the bill proposed by the union government intends to do. There is an earlier bill which is existing titled the Indian Ports Act 1908 and the proposed bill is titled Indian Ports Bill 2022. What is the basic difference between these two and what are the issues you are flagging against this bill? First of all I would like to thank all the viewers those who are going to view this video. This is in regard to the reason move of the government of India to introduce the new bill called Indian Ports Bill 2022. Already there is a act called Indian Ports Act 1908. That means the bill that is the act Indian Ports Act 1908 has been formulated before very long time. Now the government feels it should be amended or modified or whatever it is. The Indian Ports Act 1908 the government wanted to repeal and introduce the new draft called Indian Ports Bill 2022. What is its impact and what would be its repercussion if it is become an act? First of all the Indian Ports Act 1908 deals about the functioning of various ports in the country. India as a continent everybody knows at its three sides. Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabic Ocean. In three oceans there are nine coastal states. In these nine coastal states there are 187 minor ports are there and 11 major ports are there. The major ports are controlled and managed by the government of India. Whereas the minor ports are under the control of the state governments particularly those who are in the coastal states. Now what is the impact? Why many of the state governments particularly the state of coastal states why they are opposing? This bill will bring all the minor ports under the State Maritime Development Council. It is called a council. In this council there are 21 peoples will be there 21 representatives will be there. Out of this 21 majority that means 14 to 15 members will belong to government of India under the ministry of shipping. This council this National Maritime Development Council chairman will be shipping minister. There by any majority decision will be taken by this council will dominate will dominate the coastal states. Now the coastal states is having the minor ports these minor ports are the state governments are developing with the help of private partners under PPP model public private partnership. There by the state governments are getting the revenue share from the parties from the private parties that is separate agenda. Whatever it is given to private parties we are opposing that is separate agenda but this bill will be encroaching the state governments power. So whatever they are getting as a revenue from PPP model shareholders this revenue will ultimately go to the government of India that is number one. Number two the national level state development maritime council will be appointed and people will be recruited by the government of India. There by the state government cannot appoint any of the state own youth those who have studied and they are expecting employment opportunity from these governments. Number three all these ports will be controlled by them. Number four what they say for each and every port there is a port conservator. There is a port conservator he is the chief this port conservator will be appointed by the government of India whereas now in each and every coastal states there is a state maritime board is there. This state maritime board will be headed by the IIS officer and controlled by the state level transport minister but when it is taken over by the government of India the IIS officers will be losing their post there will not be state maritime board rather than it will pave the way for developing the national state maritime development council that council will be authorized and they are having every power. There by each and every states are opposing our federation water transport workers federation of India has already submitted our views our suggestion our amendment in regard to this Indian ports bill 2022 now I will give you comparison what is the difference between 1908 act and this bill in the 1908 there is a power for the port conservator if a particular ship is coming to the port they have to pay the port related charges that is mooring mooring means a ship which is coming to the port and moving from each and every port they have to pay some charges to the port those fund will be credited in the ports account there is a separate account ports account every ports will be maintaining ports account these funds will be deposited in the fund from that port account the money will be utilized for workers salary gradually leave salary pension etc now a new act shows no such requirement no shipping company no stevey doors no big corporate companies need not pay anything by this new act similarly if your port is getting visited by a ship the ship should give what is the total ton capacity in the ship to be discharged what is the cargo which is come to be discharged based on that tonnage the ship has to the ship owner has to pay tonnage charges to the port now a port conservator will go on inspect how much tonnage of a cargo is there in the ship now the new act says no power has been given to the port conservator conservator will not go and visit any ship he may not decide what is the cargo thereby the shipping company can unilaterally say this is my cargo this much of ton I have brought up so no inspection will be taken over there so this kind of differentiation is there thereby what they say that is for ease of doing business they want to develop the shipping cocktails multinational companies by giving this concession okay let them give concession but not at the cost of workers welfare workers salary workers gradually so what are the existing amendment what are the existing rules it is already in the 19 naught act should replaced it should also come into the new bill otherwise the worker will not accept the trade union leaders may not act similarly the state governments already started opposing this bill the honorable chief minister of Tamil Nadu has very recently before 10 days issued a order issued a letter which he has written to the central government this coastal government coastal states will oppose that similarly the penarai vijayan honorable minister of kerala and mantab energy minister of west Bengal these states are coming under the coastal states so there are also opposing finally what we would like to say to the viewers this is very very dangerous and detrimental on both sides one side it will be spoiling the federalism of the country by encroaching by poking their nose in the power of the statement in another way in another hand it will be taking away all the rights and financially the ports will be getting affected by this on thereby the port workers will be losing their salary benefits of like a retirement benefit other terminal benefit so that in both angle we are opposing thank you thank you thank you sir for joining us