Question : Simplification of Rules

(a) whether the Government has set up a Committee to identify obsolete rules and regulations with a view to streamline the processes and procedures in the shipping sector and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Committee has submitted its report to the Government;
(c) if so, the details of the recommendations made by the Committee and the follow up action taken by the Government thereon;
(d) whether the Government proposes to rescind thirteen rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to achieve process simplification and ensure transparency in the shipping sector?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING
(SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

(a) Yes, Madam, the Ministry of Shipping has constituted a Committee under Joint Director General of Shipping to look into all the Acts and Regulations being administered by this Ministry and its attached/subordinate offices/autonomous organizations to assess which of these Acts/Regulations are obsolete and needs to be repealed.
(b) Yes, Madam.
(c) The Committee has recommended for repeal of (i) the Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Service) Rules 1970; (ii) the Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention Certificate) Rules 1975; (iii) the Merchant Shipping (Radio Direction Finders) Rules 1968; (iv) the Merchant Shipping (Rates) Rules 1970; (v) the Merchant Shipping (Indian Pilgrim) Rules 1933; (vi) the Northern India Ferry Act 1878; (vii) the Shipping Development Fund Committee (Abolition) Act 1986; (viii) the Rules for Inspecting, Surveying and Regulating Vessels which are not Self Propelling Plying within the Limits of the Port of Bombay and (ix) the Mumbai Port Trust Warehouse Bye-law. Out of nine laws recommended by the Committee, the notification for rescinding/pre-publication of four Rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and for repeal of one Rules and one Bye-law each of the Mumbai Port Trust, have already been published. Further, the Ministry of Shipping has recommended to the Ministry of Law & Justice to repeal the two Acts namely, the Shipping Development Fund Committee (Abolition) Act 1986 and the Northern India Ferry Act 1878. Likewise, the Ministry of External Affairs has been recommended to rescind the Merchant Shipping (Indian Pilgrim) Rules 1933 notified by them.
(d) In addition to the Rules recommended by the Committee [Rules at Sl. No. (i) to (iv) of part (c) above], the Ministry has also published a notification for rescinding/pre-publishing nine other obsolete Rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 totalling to thirteen rules. In consultation with the Legislative Department, the rescinding/prepublication notification has been published, in the Gazette of India dated 17.11.2015. The thirteen Rules are:

1. Merchant Shipping (Distressed Seamen) Rules, 1960
2. Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Service) Rules, 1970
3. Merchant Shipping (Rates) Rules 1970
4. Merchant Shipping (Radio) Rules, 1983
5. Merchant Shipping (Examination of Masters and Mates) Rules, 1968
6. Merchant Shipping (Examination of Engineer Officers in the Merchant Navy) Rules, 1989
7. Merchant Shipping (Certificate of Competency) Rules, 1989
8. Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention Certificates) Rules, 1975,
9. Merchant Shipping (Radio Direction Finders) Rules 1968,
10. Merchant Shipping (Distress Messages and Navigational Warnings) Rules, 1964
11. Merchant Shipping (Muster) Rules, 1968
12. Merchant Shipping (Pilot Ladder) Rules, 1967
13. Lifeboatmen’s (Qualifications and Certificates) Rules 1963

(e) In order to achieve simplification of procedure and ensure transparency, the government has taken various e-governance initiatives for online delivery of services by the Directorate General of Shipping such as processing and issuance of chartering permission application, procedural formalities for certificate of competency examination, e-payment, seat booking, processing and issuance of certificates and registration of multimodal transport operators.

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