Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
Review key Major Ports of India: Port Authorities Act 2021 & Cargo Terminals exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
The Major Port Authorities Act 2021 entered into force in November 2021, replacing the legacy Major Port Trusts Act of 1963.
#2
The 2021 legislation repealed the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP), empowering Major Port Authority Boards to fix competitive market tariffs.
#3
Under the Landlord Port Model, port authorities maintain ownership of harbor land and basic infrastructure while leasing cargo terminal operations to private operators.
#4
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) became India's first 100 percent landlord major port in July 2022 after privatizing its container handling operations.
#5
The Major Port Authorities Act 2021 established an Adjudicatory Board to adjudicate disputes between port authorities, private concessionaires, and users.
#6
Major Port Authority Boards comprise eleven to thirteen members, including representatives of state governments, defense, labor, and independent domain professionals.
#7
Kamarajar Port Limited at Ennore in Tamil Nadu is the sole corporatized major port in India, incorporated under the Companies Act of 1956.
#8
Entry 27 of the Union List (List I) in the Seventh Schedule vests Parliament with legislative jurisdiction over ports declared major by statutory enactment.
#9
Non-major ports fall under Entry 31 of the Concurrent List (List III), allowing maritime state governments to regulate them via Maritime State Boards.
#10
The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), established in 1982, was India's first statutory state maritime board regulating minor ports along Gujarat's coastline.
#11
Project UNNATI was launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to benchmark operational berth productivity against global efficiency metrics.
#12
The Indian Ports Act of 1908 continues to regulate port safety, vessel entry protocols, harbor pilotage, and vessel conservancy fees across all Indian ports.
#13
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in major ports operate primarily on a thirty-year Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) concession model.
#14
Vadhavan Port in Palghar district, Maharashtra, was approved in 2024 as an all-weather greenfield major port governed completely under the landlord model.
#15
Coastal shipping cabotage regulations were relaxed in 2018 to allow foreign-flagged container vessels to transport coastal export-import transshipment cargo between Indian ports.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
India handles over ninety percent of its international trade volume through major and non-major maritime ports. Major ports are governed by the Union Government, while non-major ports fall under state maritime boards. Under the Major Port Authorities Act of 2021, India transitioned toward the landlord port model. Under this setup, the port authority retains ownership of harbor land and basic infrastructure while leasing cargo terminal operations to private operators to boost efficiency.
For UPSC prelims and SSC exams, questions often target constitutional entries and port administration models. Remember that major ports fall under Entry 27 of the Union List, while non-major ports belong to Entry 31 of the Concurrent List. A recurring exam trap tests port governance: JNPA is India's first fully landlord port, whereas Kamarajar Port at Ennore is the sole corporatized major port. Also note Vadhavan in Maharashtra as an upcoming greenfield landlord port.
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