Rajya Sabha passed National Waterways Bill, 2015

On 9th March 2016 Rajya Sabha passed National Waterways Bill, 2015. The Bill seeks to unleash the navigation potential of India’s larger river ways resources.
•    As part of this Bill, under entry 24 of the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the Union government can make laws on shipping and navigation on inland waterways that are classified as national waterways.
•    The Bill identifies additional 101 waterways as national waterways. It also specifies the extent of development to be undertaken on each waterway.
•    Earlier, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 21 December 2015.
•    The National Waterways Bill, 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 5 May 2015 by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari.
•    It provides an alternative form of transportation in India. It will also open economic opportunities to new regions.