- Minister of State for Shipping(I/C) and Chemical & Fertilizers has informed Lok Sabha about the various preventive steps taken by the Government of India to check marine pollution.
- The Minister informed that India is a signatory to MARPOL(International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution).
- In addition,the Prevention of Marine Pollution is also dealt with by Merchant Shipping Rules,2009 framed under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.
- The Minister has also informed that periodic surveys of Indian flag vessels are carried out in order to ensure compliance to the above rules.
- In 2019,steering committee with stakeholders from all the concerned Ministers and Departments has been constituted by the Ministry of Environment,Forests and Climate Change to tackle the issues of marine plastic littering.
- MARPOL is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.The Convention was adopted in 1973 at IMO.The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977.
