Govt Reconstitutes National Shipping Board With Khare As Chair

Khare, a former Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, also served as Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. He holds a B.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai.

The National Shipping Board, a statutory advisory body under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, was established in 1959 to provide policy guidance to the Centre on matters related to shipping and maritime development. It is reconstituted every two years.

The appointment assumes importance in light of the fact that the Ministry has embarked on an exercise of aggregating the gap between demand and supply in its shipping requirements amid increased geopolitical and geo-economic risks and uncertainties. Currently, 90 per cent of India’s cargo is shipped on foreign vessels.  

The newly appointed board includes representatives from key government ministries, maritime industry bodies, academic institutions, and the armed forces. The full list of members is as follows:

Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Chief Surveyor, Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai
In-charge, Marine Administration Wing, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Representative from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (not below Joint Secretary rank)
Representative from the Indian Navy (not below Director rank)
Representative from the Indian Coast Guard (not below Director rank)
Rakesh Singh, Secretary, Indian Coastal Conference Shipping Association (ICCSA)
Anil Laxman Devli, CEO, Indian National Shipowners’ Association (INSA)
Rahul Modi, Coastal Container Transports Association (CCTA)
Milind Kandalgaonkar, General Secretary-cum-Treasurer, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI)
Captain Tushar Pradhan, General Secretary, Maritime Union of India (MUI)
Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman, Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), Mumbai
Chairman & Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Limited
K Murali, Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras
Sanjam Sahi Gupta, Director, Sitara Shipping Ltd.
Shantanu Kalita, Advisor, Indian Ports Association (IPA)

The reconstituted board is expected to play a key role in shaping India’s maritime policy and driving growth in the shipping sector, amid changing global trade dynamics.