Centre notifies Kandla, JNPA, Mundra and Paradip as mega ports

1. At a Glance

• The Centre has notified four ports as "mega ports" under the Indian Ports Act, 2025: Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra [1].
• The list mixes three major ports (Deendayal, JN, Paradip) with one non-major port, Mundra, which is privately operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) [1].
• "Mega port" is a new statutory category that cuts across the old major / non-major split. The criteria were set in consultation with State governments, which makes this a cooperative federalism issue [1].
• UPSC relevance: GS-III (infrastructure: ports), GS-II (Centre–State relations over ports), and Prelims questions on new Acts and port geography.

2. Why in the News

• 25 September 2026: the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) issued the notification designating the four mega ports. It took effect on publication in the Gazette of India [1].
• 30 July 2026: the criteria for classification as a mega port were notified earlier, in consultation with State governments [1].
• The notification says all four ports "satisfy the criteria" for mega-port classification [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• [2] Before 2025, port governance ran on two laws:
• the colonial-era Indian Ports Act, 1908;

• the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (which replaced the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963) for major ports.

• [2] The Indian Ports Act, 2025 repealed and replaced the 1908 Act. Its aims were to consolidate port law, give the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) statutory standing, and create a framework for integrated port planning.

• [2] Kandla port was renamed Deendayal Port in 2017.
• Timeline from the source:
• Indian Ports Act, 2025 enacted [1];
• 30 July 2026: mega-port criteria notified after consulting States [1];
• 25 September 2026: four ports notified as mega ports [1].

4. Core Static Facts

• [2] Under the Seventh Schedule, major ports fall in the Union List (Entry 27). Non-major (minor) ports fall in the Concurrent List (Entry 31) and are run in practice by State maritime boards.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• Of the four mega ports, three are on the west coast and one (Paradip) on the east coast [1][2]. This matches where India's container and bulk traffic is concentrated.
• Putting a private non-major port (Mundra) in the same category as major ports [1] shows that the classification is about scale, not ownership. That supports public–private competition.
• [2] Mega-port status is likely to be used to direct capacity building, hinterland connectivity (Gati Shakti, Dedicated Freight Corridors) and transshipment ambitions.

Legal / Constitutional

• There are separate legal routes: Section 73(2) for major ports and Section 73(3) for Mundra [1]. This reflects the Union List vs Concurrent List split [2].
• Notifications under Section 73 take effect on Gazette publication, which makes them delegated legislation [1].

Governance / Federalism

• The criteria were notified "in consultation with State governments" [1]. This matters because Mundra comes under Gujarat's jurisdiction as a non-major port [2].
• [2] States have worried that the 2025 Act centralises port planning, for example through the MSDC and national plans. The mega-port category could become a test case for Centre–State balance.

Geopolitical / Strategic

• [2] Large, deep-draft gateway ports reduce reliance on foreign transshipment hubs such as Colombo, Singapore and Jebel Ali. They also support the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 goals.
• [2] The west coast ports are the entry points for IMEC (India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor) and West Asia trade. Paradip anchors eastern trade under the Act East policy.

Environmental

• [2] Mega-port expansion raises concerns about mangroves and marine ecology (the Gulf of Kutch hosts the Marine National Park) and about coastal regulation (CRZ). It also connects to green port and green hydrogen hub initiatives at Deendayal and Paradip.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 2025: Indian Ports Act, 2025 enacted [1]. [2] It passed Parliament during the Monsoon Session 2025.
• 30 July 2026: mega-port classification criteria notified after consulting States [1].
• 25 September 2026: MoPSW notifies Deendayal, JNPA, Paradip and Mundra as mega ports, effective on Gazette publication [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The four notified mega ports are Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra [1].
• The notifying ministry is the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways [1].
• The notification was issued on 25 September 2026 [1].
• The parent law is the Indian Ports Act, 2025, not the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 [1].
• Major ports were notified under Section 73(2) [1].
• Mundra, a non-major port, was notified under Section 73(3) [1].
• Mundra is the only non-major port among the four [1].
• Mundra is operated by Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) [1].
• The mega-port criteria were notified on 30 July 2026 [1].
• The criteria were framed in consultation with State governments [1].
• The notification took effect on publication in the Gazette of India [1].
• [2] Kandla port was renamed Deendayal Port in 2017.
• [2] Two of the four mega ports, Deendayal and Mundra, are in Gujarat on the Gulf of Kutch.
• [2] Paradip (Odisha) is the only east coast port among the four.

8. A New Label That Does Not Yet Change How These Ports Are Run

• The Act creates the category but gives it no powers
• Section 73 lets the Centre set criteria for a mega port (in consultation with States) and then notify ports that meet them [3].
• The Act says nothing more about mega ports. PRS notes that it is unclear why a port needs this label on top of being major or non-major [3].

• Mega ports continue to be governed under their existing class, major or non-major [3].

• What this means in practice

• Deendayal, JNPA and Paradip are still run by their port authorities. Mundra is still regulated as a non-major port.
• Nothing in the Act yet attaches funding, tariff freedom, faster clearances or priority rail and road links to the tag.

• So on its own, the 25 September notification changes the port's name tag, not the rules that apply to it [1][3].

• Why an aspirant should still take it seriously

• A label with no rules attached can later be used to target policy, for example to pick which ports get national connectivity planning first.
• The real test is the rules or schemes that follow. Until then, calling this a "reform" in an answer would overstate it.

9. Why Consulting States Is Not the Same as States Deciding

• States help set the criteria, but the Centre decides which ports get the label
• The Act requires consultation with State governments only when the criteria are set [3][5].
• The step that names each port is taken by the Centre through a Gazette notification [1][3].

• Consultation means States are asked. It does not mean they must agree, and a State cannot stop a port it regulates from being named.

• Mundra shows the tension most clearly

• Mundra is a non-major port. Under the Act, ports like it are licensed, supervised and priced by State Maritime Boards, which also fix their tariffs (port charges) [4].
• It now also carries a national label given by the Centre [1].

• If future benefits or duties are tied to that label, it creates a second layer of control over a port the State is meant to regulate.

• The forum for resolving this leans towards the Centre

• The Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) is the statutory body meant to bring the Centre and coastal States together [4].
• The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways chairs it. State port ministers sit on it as members [4].
• Its role is mostly advisory: it advises the Centre on a national perspective plan and issues guidelines on port data and on making tariffs transparent [4].
• So the body that is supposed to balance the two sides is chaired from Delhi and does not make binding decisions.

10. What Should Follow Before the Tag Means Anything

• MoPSW should publish the criteria and what mega-port status brings
• The source notes that the criteria exist and that the four ports "satisfy" them, but does not list them [1].

• PRS already flagged that the purpose of the category is unclear [3]. Publishing the thresholds (for example cargo volume or depth of water at the berths) and the benefits would let other ports and States know what to aim for.

• The MSDC should be the place where the tag is linked to planning

• The MSDC advises on the national perspective plan [4]. That makes it the right forum to decide whether mega ports get priority in that plan.

• Handling it there, rather than through one-sided notifications, gives coastal States a formal voice in the decision.

• Any benefits should be tied to the tag, not to who owns the port

• The list already has a private port next to three public ones [1].
• If mega-port status later brings public money for connectivity, the same conditions should apply to Mundra and to the major ports. Otherwise the tag will look like a subsidy to one operator.

11. Anchors for Answers

• Report/Committee: PRS Legislative Brief on the Indian Ports Bill, 2025. It notes that the Act does not explain what a port gains from being classed as a mega port [3]
• Law/Case: Indian Ports Act, 2025, Section 73. Criteria are set in consultation with States, and ports are then notified by the Centre [3][5]. Seventh Schedule: major ports are in the Union List and non-major ports in the Concurrent List
• Data: The MSDC is chaired by the Union Ports Minister, with coastal-State port ministers as members, and it is advisory [4]
• Scheme: Sagarmala Programme (port-led development). This is where any money or priority linked to mega-port status would most likely come from

12. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Infrastructure (ports); investment models (PPP); Indian economy and resource mobilisation.
• GS-II: Federal structure and Centre–State relations; statutory bodies (MSDC); government policies and interventions.
• Possible question stems: 1. The creation of a 'mega port' category under the Indian Ports Act, 2025 blurs the traditional major / non-major port divide. Examine its implications for port-led development and cooperative federalism. (15 marks) 2. Analyse how India can reduce its dependence on foreign transshipment hubs. What role can designated mega ports play? (10 marks) 3. Discuss the challenges of balancing port capacity expansion with coastal ecological protection, with reference to India's west coast. (10 marks)

13. Related Topics to Study Next

• Indian Ports Act, 2025: its structure, MSDC, dispute resolution, and repeal of the 1908 Act.
• Major Port Authorities Act, 2021: the governance model for major ports, and how it differs from the 2025 Act.
• Sagarmala Programme: port-led development and coastal economic zones.
• Maritime India Vision 2030 / Amrit Kaal Maritime Vision 2047: capacity and transshipment targets.
• Vadhavan Port (Maharashtra) and Galathea Bay (Great Nicobar) transshipment port: upcoming deep-draft greenfield ports.
• PM Gati Shakti and Dedicated Freight Corridors: the hinterland connectivity that mega ports need.
• IMEC and INSTC: trade corridors that depend on west coast gateway ports.
• CRZ Notification 2019 and the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park: environmental constraints on port expansion.

14. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Mundra is not a major port. It is a privately operated non-major port notified under Section 73(3), not 73(2) [1].
• Kandla and Deendayal are the same port. Do not count them as two.
• Nhava Sheva is JNPA. It is not Mumbai Port Authority, which is a separate major port [2].
• Wrong Act: mega-port status comes from the Indian Ports Act, 2025, not the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 or the old 1908 Act [1].
• Wrong date: the criteria were notified on 30 July 2026, and the ports were notified on 25 September 2026 [1].
• Wrong ministry: it is MoPSW. Do not confuse it with the Ministry of Commerce or the Ministry of Shipping (the pre-2020 name) [1][2].