Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the government is firmly committed to making the country’s coastal security unbreachable. Mr Shah made the remarks while reviewing progress on the establishment of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) along with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal. The Home Minister said that only licensed private security agencies should be entrusted with port security, and only personnel trained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) should be deployed. He directed that training at the Port Security Training Institute should begin at the earliest by utilising the existing infrastructure. He also instructed officials to create a comprehensive database of all security personnel to be deployed under the BoPS. The Home Minister further said that all ports covered under the BoPS security framework should be equipped with container-scanning facilities. He directed the CISF to conduct trial runs of the proposed security arrangements at major ports, including Visakhapatnam Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mundra Port. Akashvani correspondent reports that the meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Secretary (Border Management), the Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Secretary of Department of Fisheries, the Director General of the CISF, and other senior officials. The Bureau of Port Security is being established as a statutory body under Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025. To be headed by a director general, the Bureau will function under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. It will be responsible for regulating and inspecting the security of ships and port facilities. The Bureau will also ensure the timely collection, analysis and sharing of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity. A dedicated division will safeguard the IT infrastructure of ports against cyber threats. Mr Shah also reviewed security arrangements for fishing harbours and fish landing centres with officials of the Department of Fisheries. He directed that the ISRO-developed ‘Nabhmitra’ app be promoted more extensively so that more fishermen can download it on their mobile phones. He also asked the Department to write to district magistrates and superintendents of police across the country, seeking details of all fish landing centres in their respective districts. The Home Minister further directed that the registration process for fishermen be simplified and that District Superintendents of Police ensure adequate security at fish landing centres by deploying permanent police personnel.
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