Lok Sabha Question No. 1450 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-26
Subject: Safety and Welfare of Seafarers
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: Tejpratap Singh,Yadav, ANJU BALA

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA MINISTRY  OF SHIPPING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 1450

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26thJULY, 2018

## SAFETY AND WELFARE OF SEAFARERS

## 1450. SHRI TEJ PRATAP  SINGH YADAV: SHRIMATI ANJU BAI.A:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING  be pleased to state:

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- (a) whether the Government  has taken adequate steps to safeguard the interest of lndian  crew members aboard foreign vessels specially  in exigencies like pirate hijacking or fatal accidents  and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  implementation  of the relevant Maritime AcULaws by the Government has been lax in such cases and if so, the details thereof  along with the reaction of the Government  thereto;
- (c) whether the retired seafarers have protested by hunger strike against discontinuance  of the monthly ex-gratia allowance and if so, the details thereof along with the reaction  of the Government  thereto;
- (d) whether the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society has been set up for the welfare of lndian seafarers  and their families;
- (e) if so, the details of objectives, functions and achievements thereof along with the funds released for the purpose  so far; and
- (f) other welfare measures being taken by the Government  in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY  OF SHIPPING (SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

- (a) & (b) To deal with potential  maritime security situations  arising out of any hijacking at sea of merchant vessels  with lndian crew, an lnter-Ministerial  Group (IMGO)  was set up by the Government under the Ministry of Shipping to deal with .the  hostage  situation arising out of the hijacking  at sea of merchant  vessels  with lndian crew. Government  had also approved the Contingency Plan for dealing with piracy and hi,iacking  of merchant ships and constituted a Committee of Secretaries on Anti-Piracy and Hijacking at sea (COSAPH) under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary. ln addition to this, the following anti  -piracy  measures have been put in place for lndian flag merchant  vessels  and sailing vessels:

- (i) Guidelines for anti-piracy  measures to be implemented on lndian Ships through issue of Merchant Shipping Notice No.1 of 2011 dated 14.1.2011.  The guidelines provide  for elaborate anti-piracy  measures (Best Management Practices), including safe house/citadel  for vessels.
- (ii) Banning of sailing vessels  to ply in waters south or west of the line  joining Salalah and Male through Merchant  Shipping Notice No. 3/2010 dated 31.3.2010.
- (iii) Advisory issued by Directorate General of Shipping vide Notice No. 35NT(2y2017  dated 6th April, 2017 for not transiting  through  Gulf of Aden.
- (iv) Naval escort  provided  by lndian naval ships  in the Gulf of Aden since 2008.
- (v) Enhanced vigil by the lndian Navy in the lndian Exclusive  Economic  Zone (EEZ)  and westward upto 65 degree east longitude.
- (vi)  Active participation by lndia in the security meetings of the lnternational Maritime Organization,  Contact  Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia  (CGPCS) and other international  fora.

As regards fatal accidents, for lndian ships/vessels  were caught in distress/distresslike situations  due to grounding,  collision, sinking,  flooding, fire on board, engine failure  etc., the Government of lndia has constituted  Maritime Rescue  Co-ordination Cenkes  (MRCCs)  to deal with such situations  and necessary rescue measures are undertaken  through  various  agencies.

- (c) Yes, Madam. An ex-gratia allowance of Rs.200/- per month was being paid by Seafarers  Welfare Fund Society (SWFS)  to some retired seafarers who had worked on foreign  going vessels as per government  records as on 27.03.2001. SWFS has decided to discontinue the ex-gratia  payment due to the erosion of the corpus of the fund on whose interest  income the payment  of ex-gratia  was being made and instead decided to distribute the balance  of the corpus amount  as lumpsum payment to all the beneficiaries.

One faction of Forward Seamen's Union of lndia has protested on 25126.06.2018  about this decision  of SWFS.  Government  had already  informed  them that merchant shipping is governed  by market forces. Seafarers job world-wide  is .contractual  and for a specific period. Pension to an employee  is paid by the employer if a provision  for payment of pension is mentioned in the employment contract.

(d) to (0 Yes, Madam.

(a) Some of the objectives as set out in the Memorandum of Association of SWFS are as follows:-

(i) To provide  and maintain  a fund by the name of the Seafarers' Welfare Fund;

(ii) To prepare  the annual budget of income and expenditure  in respect of the Fund for submission  to the Central Government.

(iii) To sell, lease, mortgage, surrender, exchange, dispose of, or othenruise deal with, all or any  part of the movable  or immovable  property  belonging  to the Society or in its possession  or occupation, subject  to such limitations as the Central Government  may from time to time impose;

(iv) To invest in any security or keep in deposit with any bank and otherwise deal with any moneys of the Society in such manner as may, from time to time, be prescribed  by the Central Government.

(v) To give pension, gratuities or charitable  aid to employees or ex-employees of the SWFS or to their wives, children  or other relatives or dependents.

(b) The functions of the SWFS are as follows:-

(i) To implement  welfare schemeS for the retired seafarers and their families on completion  of age of superan nuation/voluntarily retired seafarers  permanently medically  unfit for seafaring  job.

- (ii) To implement  welfare schemes  for the families of the seafarers.
- (c) The achievements of the objectives  of the SWFS are as follows:-

The following welfare  Schemes are being implemented by the SWFS for the Seafarers-(i)  Survival  Benefit Scheme (ii) lnvalidity Benefit Scheme (iii) Maternity Benefit Scheme for Female Seafarers.  These schemes became effective from 21.08.2014  onwards.