Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the progress in the establishment of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) and directed officials to strengthen security infrastructure at ports and fishing harbours, reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to making India’s coastal security “impregnable” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The review meeting, held jointly with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Secretary (Border Management), Secretary (Ports, Shipping and Waterways), Secretary (Department of Fisheries), Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and other senior officials.
HM Shah directed that only licensed private security agencies should be entrusted with port security and that only personnel trained by the CISF should be deployed at ports. He also instructed officials to begin training for the proposed Port Security Training Institute (PSTI) at the earliest by utilising existing infrastructure.
The Home Minister called for the creation of a comprehensive database of all security personnel to be deployed under the Bureau of Port Security and directed that container scanning facilities be installed at all ports covered under the BoPS security framework.
He also asked the CISF to conduct trial runs of the proposed security arrangements at major ports, including Visakhapatnam Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mundra Port, before they are handed over to the new bureau.
“The Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is firmly committed to making the country’s coastal security unbreachable,” HM Shah said.
The Bureau of Port Security is being established as a statutory body under Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025. Functioning under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the bureau will oversee regulatory and inspection functions related to the security of ships and port facilities. It will also be responsible for analysing, collecting and sharing security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity through a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats.
Separately, HM Shah reviewed security arrangements at fishing harbours and fish landing centres with officials of the Department of Fisheries.
He directed the department to promote the ISRO-developed ‘Nabhmitra’ mobile application more extensively so that a larger number of fishermen can access it on their smartphones.
The Home Minister also instructed the Department of Fisheries to seek district-wise details of fish landing centres from District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police across the country. He called for simplifying the registration process for fishermen and directed district police chiefs to ensure robust security arrangements at all fish landing centres.
HM Shah further stressed that only permanent police personnel should be deployed at these facilities to strengthen coastal surveillance and security.
