India’s coastline is of 7517 kms on which there are 12 major ports and 187 minor ports. 90% of India’s foreign trade is handled through seaways. Indian ports were under the purview of the government in the pre-liberalization and pre-reforms era. These ports were characterized by inefficient and ineffective services due to bureaucratic structure, obsolete infrastructure and mismanagement. However, changes worldwide brought pressure on the port industry and government was inefficient to speed up the expansion within a short span. Government of India based on the Rakesh Mohan Committee Report (1996) and World Bank’s ‘India Port Sector Strategy Report’ (1995) initiated ‘Port Reforms Process’ in 1996. Under reforms process, port sector has been opened up for private participation, measures have been taken up to change the governance structure, guidelines have been issued for private participation in major ports and plans are underway to corporatise the major ports. Divided into four sections, the book deals with the industry scenario, performance of major ports, port reforms and challenges. Privatization of Indian ports, which is a step towards restructuring is also dealt with. Cases of major ports where reforms have been implemented, such as Vishakha port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Ennore Port Ltd. have been discussed. Global experiences comprising case studies like Chinese ports, Malaysian ports, South Africa’s port policy, pricing and growth have also been detailed.
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