Union Commerce Ministry plans model manual for ports

CHENNAI: In a bid to usher in transparency and ensure logistical efficiency of ports and airports, the Union Commerce Ministry is likely to come out with a model handbook to deal with process and documentation in ports, according to Pawan Kumar Agarwal, Special Secretary of Logistics, Ministry of Commerce.

Based on this model handbook, the ports will then develop their own handbook, says Agarwal while addressing a seminar on ‘EXIM Trade in New Normal’ organised by the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.  He said that a standardised manual for all the ports could not be prepared as there are variations in operations of ports across the country.

He said the model will be developed by port authorities along with other stakeholders and approved by the logistics division.  “There will be a third-party audit of the handbooks to ensure it is being implemented,” said Agarwal who has sought feedback from the industry on the feasibility of such a process. Stressing on the need for going digital, he said the exchange of documents is being done manually in ports and 30 per cent of the documents is redundant. 

“They serve no purpose and one-third of documents are submitted more than once,” said Agarwal.
This also comes as the shipping ministry has sought the commerce ministry’s intervention for issuing advisory for recognition of electronic trading documents instead of “manual trade documentation” still required by many departments and financial institutions.

New standards
Based on this model handbook, the ports will then develop their own handbook, says Pawan Kumar Agarwal, Special Secretary of Logistics, Ministry of Commerce. He said that a standardised manual for all the ports could not be prepared as there are variations in operations of ports across the country.