Inland Vessels Bill 2021
Source : The Hindu
GS III : Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc

Why in News ?

The Cabinet also approved the introduction of the Inland Vessel Bill 2021 in Parliament to ensure safe transportation and trade through inland waters.

Key Facts

• The Union Cabinet gave the nod to the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021, which will replace the Inland Vessels Act, 1917.
• The Cabinet has approved the Inland vessel bill which will streamline and regulate inland vessels. 
• A total of 4,000 kilometres of inland waterways are operational.
• To ensure the safety, security, of vessels running on waterways, besides seeing that their registration is done smoothly.

Bill Features

• The bill provides unified law for the entire country, instead of separate rules framed by the States.
• The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and  Union Territories
  • There will be no need to seek separate per- missions from the States.
• The legislation would help divide inland water into three different zones, ease induction of trained manpower from the Army, Navy and Coast Guard, facilitate insurance of vessels and prevent pollution of water.
• Central data base for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, crew on an electronic portal.
• All non­ mechanically propelled vessels will also have to be enrolled at district, taluk or panchayat or village level.

How Inland Water Transport (IWT) in India helpful ?

• India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks.

  

• Freight transportation by waterways is highly underutilized in the country as compared to developed countries.
  • Both coastal shipping and inland waterways playing a limited role.
• Waterways are found to be cost effective as well as an environmentally friendly means of transporting freight.
• It has the potential to supplement the over-burdened railways and congested roadways. 
• National Waterways Act, 2016 has declared 111 inland waterways as ‘National Waterways’ (NWs) in the country to promote shipping and navigation on them. .
  • The total length of NWs is 20,275 kms spread across 24 States in the country.

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