Defence Minister launches web portal for issuing NOCs for projects in Indian waters

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched a new web portal for according security clearances to various organisations by issuing NOCs for projects in areas nearby defence installations and also for research, survey, exploration and exploitation activities in Indian Territorial Waters and its exclusive economic zones.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday launched a web portal for issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs) to entities that are undertaking power projects and activities related to research, survey, exploration and exploitation in the Indian territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, according to an official statement.

"The online system will establish an effective, speedy and transparent mechanism to process these proposals. The ministry has earlier launched a similar portal for grant of NOC for aerial survey," the statement said.

Singh, along with Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik, launched the web portal in the presence of Army Chief General M M Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, and Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria.

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According to rules of the United Nations, all areas extending up to 12 nautical miles from a country's coastline are its territorial waters (TW). All areas extending up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline are its exclusive economic zones (EEZ).

The Defence Ministry said that it accords security clearances to various private sector companies, public sector entities and government organisations for power, wind or solar projects in "areas nearby defence installations and also RSEE (research, survey, exploration and exploitation) activities in the Indian TW and EEZ for applications" through various other ministries.

It stated that the ministries sending applications for these NOCs are the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Shipping.

The web portal has been developed with the assistance of National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG) and National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Defence Ministry said.

PTI report

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