Why it is in the news
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has notified Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra as India's first mega ports under the Indian Ports Act, 2025, by a notification dated 25 September 2026 that came into force on publication in the Gazette of India.
The exam angle
Issue: Can a performance-based “mega port” category, layered over a Union–Concurrent constitutional split and a mix of public and private ownership, become a genuine instrument for building world-scale gateways — or will it remain a label without legal consequences?