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REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-24072024-255711
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 407]
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2024/ SHRAVANA 2, 1946
4555 GI/2024
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
(Department of Telecommunications)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 24th July, 2024
G.S.R. 446(E).- The following draft rules, which the Central Government proposes to make in exercise of the powers
conferred under section 46, read with clause (zh) of sub-section (2) of section 56 of the Telecommunications Act,
2023 (44 of 2023), are hereby published for the information of all persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is
hereby given that the said draft rules shall be taken into consideration after the expiry of a period of thirty days from
the date on which copies of this notification as published in the Official Gazette, are made available to the public;
Objections or suggestions, if any, may be addressed to the Joint Secretary (Telecom), Department of
Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, Sanchar Bhawan, 20, Ashoka Road, New
Delhi - 110001;
The objections or suggestions which may be received from any person with respect to the said draft rules
before the expiry of the aforesaid period shall be taken into consideration by the Central Government.
1. Short title and commencement
(1) These rules may be called the Telecommunications (Commercial Radio Operator's Certificate of
Proficiency to Operate Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) Rules, 2024.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions
(1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires:
a) "Act" means the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (44 of 2023);
b) "GMDSS" or "Global Maritime Distress and Safety System" means an internationally
agreed set of safety procedures, frequencies, types of equipment, and communication
protocols for maritime safety, which operates using terrestrial and satellite radio technologies,
both onboard ships and onshore;
c) "GMDSS Certificate” means either of the two categories of certificates, namely, GMDSS
GOC and GMDSS ROC, as specified under sub-rule (1) of rule 4, and a "GMDSS
Certificate holder" or "holder" means the person who has been granted such certificate
under rule 8;
d) "International Telecommunication Convention" means the Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union signed at Geneva in 1992 or any subsequent revision or
modification thereof which the Government of India has ratified or accepted;
e) "portal" means the portal which may be notified by the Central Government under rule 15 of
these rules;
f) "Radio Regulations" means the regulations adopted by the World Radiocommunication
Conference (Geneva 1995) and includes every revision or modification thereof which the
Government of India has ratified or accepted;
g) "rules" means the Telecommunications (Commercial Radio Operator's Certificate of
Proficiency to operate Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) Rules, 2024;
h) "WPC Wing" means the Wireless Planning and Co-ordination Wing of the Department of
Telecommunications, Government of India.
(2) Words and expressions used and not defined herein but defined in the Act shall have the meaning
assigned to them in the Act.
3. Scope
No person shall operate GMDSS except under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a GMDSS
Certificate granted under these rules.
4. Categories of GMDSS certificates and eligibility
(1) There shall be two categories of GMDSS Certificates which may be granted by the Central
Government under rule 8, namely:
a) GMDSS - General Operator's Certificate, or GMDSS- GOC;
b) GMDSS - Restricted Operator's Certificate, or GMDSS- ROC.
(2) A GMDSS Certificate under the relevant category shall be granted in accordance with rule 8 to a person
who satisfies the eligibility criteria as set forth below, and qualifies the examination specified
under rule 7:
+---------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| GMDSS - GOC | GMDSS - ROC |
+=====================+=====================================================================================+
| Citizen of India | Citizen of India |
| Above the age of eighteen years, as on the date of | Above the age of eighteen years, as on the date of |
| examination. | examination. |
| (a) Passed the All India Senior Secondary School | (a) Passed the Secondary School Certificate |
| Certificate Examination (12th standard) or | Examination or an equivalent examination (10th |
| equivalent examination conducted by a | standard) conducted by a recognized Board or |
| recognized Board or University in India with | University in India or holds a valid certificate|
| Mathematics and Physics as subjects; or | issued by statutory bodies of maritime or fisheries |
| | departments of the Central Government or State|
| | Government; or |
| (b) Holds a valid Certificate of Competency or its | (b) Holds a valid Certificate of Competency or its |
| equivalent issued or recognized by the | equivalent issued or recognized by the Directorate|
| Directorate General of Shipping, Government of | General of Shipping, Government of India, under |
| India, under the provisions of the Merchant | the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 |
| Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958); or | (44 of 1958); or |
| | |
| (c) Holds a valid certificate of proficiency or its | (c) Holds a valid certificate of proficiency or its |
| equivalent issued by the WPC Wing. | equivalent issued by the WPC Wing. |
| Has undergone practical training on Global Maritime | Has undergone practical training on Global Maritime |
| Distress and Safety System equipment, in any of the | Distress and Safety System equipment, in any of the |
| institutes approved by the Central Government from | institutes approved by the Central Government from |
| time to time, for a period not less than two continuous | time to time, for a period not less than one week (minimum |
| weeks (minimum ninety-six hours). | forty hours). |
+---------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in these rules, the Central Government may, subject to such
conditions as it may impose from time to time, permit a person, not being a citizen of India, to take the
examination held under rule 7, for the purpose of grant of the GMDSS Certificate under the relevant
category.
5. Application for examination for grant of GMDSS GOC
(1) Any person satisfying the eligibility criteria set forth under sub-rule (2) of rule 4 may make an
application for the examination for obtaining the GMDSS GOC to the Central Government, in the
form as may be specified for this purpose and pay fees of one thousand rupees.
(2) Examination for grant of GMDSS GOC shall consist of the following two parts: -
(a) Part-I comprising of a written examination for 60 marks, for which the passing marks shall be
36 marks; and
(b) Part-II comprising of a practical and oral examination, for 100 marks, for which the passing
marks shall be 70 marks.
(3) The successful completion of Part-I of the examination shall be a mandatory requisite for undertaking
Part-II only for applicants who have previously not held GMDSS GOC, and those applying for
GMDSS GOC more than five years after the expiry of such certificate. Applicants under sub rules (1),
(2) and (3) of rule 9 can apply directly for the Part-II examination.
6. Application for examination for grant of GMDSS ROC
(1) Any person satisfying the eligibility criteria set forth under sub-rule (2) of rule 4 may make an
application for the examination for obtaining GMDSS ROC to the Central Government, in the form as
may be specified for this purpose and pay fees of one thousand rupees.
7. Conduct of examination for grant of GMDSS Certificate
(1) The Central Government shall publish the syllabus, place, manner, date and time for the examination
for obtaining the GMDSS GOC and GMDSS ROC respectively, and the date of announcement of the
results of such examination.
(2) The language of such examination shall be English.
8. Grant and validity of GMDSS Certificate
(1) The Central Government shall issue a provisional certificate with a validity of six months to the
successful candidates immediately on declaration of the results. The terms and conditions for such
certificates shall be as specified under the International Telecommunication Convention and the Radio
Regulations.
(2) A provisional certificate holder shall apply for GMDSS Certificate of the relevant category, within a
period of six months from the date of issue of the provisional certificate.
(3) Any provisional certificate holder who applies for the GMDSS Certificate beyond a period of six
months and up to two years from date of issue of provisional certificate, shall be required to make a
payment of late fees of one thousand rupees in addition to the fees payable under sub-rule (5).
(4) The GMDSS Certificate shall not be granted upon lapse of two years from the date of issue of
provisional certificate under sub-rule (1).
(5) GMDSS Certificate under any of the following categories shall be issued subject to payment of fees as
specified below:
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
| Category of Certificate | Fee |
+=======================+====================================================+
| (i) GMDSS GOC | Ten thousand rupees for validity period of twenty years|
| | Fifteen thousand rupees for lifetime validity |
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
| (ii) GMDSS ROC | Five thousand rupees for lifetime validity |
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
For the purposes of this sub-rule, the expression “lifetime” means till the GMDSS Certificate holder attains the
age of eighty years.
(6) The validity period of the GMDSS Certificate shall commence from the date of declaration of the result
of the examination conducted under rule 7. Each category of GMDSS Certificate shall be subject to terms
and conditions as specified under the International Telecommunication Convention and the Radio
Regulations.
9. Renewal of GMDSS GOC
(1) A GMDSS GOC which is valid for an initial period of twenty years, may be renewed for another twenty
years or for lifetime, based on an application made within one year prior to the expiry of such GMDSS
GOC, in the form as may be specified by the Central Government for this purpose, on payment of fee as
provided under sub-rule (5) of rule 8, and fulfilment of either of the criteria set forth below:
a) submission of proof of total experience of not less than six months, within a period of five years
immediately preceding the date of expiry of the GMDSS GOC; or
b) successful completion of Part-II of the examination as specified under sub-paragraph (b) of sub-
rule (2) of rule 5.
(2) An application for renewal within two years after the date of expiry of the GMDSS GOC, subject to the
fulfilment of the criteria specified under sub-rule (1) above and payment of late fees at the rate of one
thousand rupees.
(3) An application for renewal after two years of the date of expiry of the GMDSS GOC, shall be considered
only upon successful completion by the applicant of Part-II of the examination as specified under rule 5,
in addition to payment of fee as provided under sub-rule (5) of rule 8, as well as payment of late fee of
one thousand rupees.
(4) No GMDSS GOC shall be renewed after a lapse of five years from the date of expiry of the GMDSS
GOC.
10. Issue of duplicate GMDSS Certificate
(1) An application for duplicate GMDSS Certificate shall be made to the Central Government in the form
as specified for this purpose, along with payment of fees of one thousand rupees. In case the GMDSS
Certificate has been lost, the application shall be accompanied with the report filed with the local
police regarding such loss.
(2) The Central Government may issue a duplicate GMDSS Certificate based on such application.
11. General obligations applicable to GMDSS certificate holders
(1) The Central Government may under these rules at any time require the GMDSS Certificate holder to
produce the same and the holder shall comply with such requisition.
(2) The GMDSS Certificate holder shall be bound by modification, variation, cancellation or revocation
of any of the conditions governing the grant of such GMDSS Certificate. Such changes shall be made
available through publication on the official website, as well as on the portal as and when notified
under rule 15, and an email shall also be sent to the email address provided by the applicant in his
application for GMDSS Certificate.
(3) If any message which a GMDSS Certificate holder is not entitled to receive is, nevertheless received,
such GMDSS Certificate holder shall not make known or allow to be made known its contents, its
origin or destination, its existence or the fact of its receipt to any person, (other than to an officer duly
authorised for this purpose by the Central Government or a court of law), and shall not reproduce in
writing, copy or make any use of such message or allow the same to be reproduced in writing, copied
or made use of.
12. Recognition of certificates issued by other countries
The Central Government may recognize, subject to conditions as it may specify from time to time,
certificates similar to those granted under rule 8, issued by a competent authority in any other country.
13. Suspension or cancellation of GMDSS Certificate
The Central Government may suspend or cancel the GMDSS Certificate if in its opinion, the GMDSS
Certificate holder has:
(a) failed to comply with the provisions of the International Telecommunication Convention and the
Radio Regulations as applicable for such GMDSS Certificate, or rules applicable to such GMDSS
Certificate holder in respect of operation of radio equipment, or
(b) wilfully furnished incorrect or false information to the Central Government;
Provided that no order of suspension or cancellation under this sub-rule shall be made unless the
GMDSS Certificate holder has been given a reasonable opportunity of making a representation against
such suspension or cancellation to the Central Government.
14. No refund of fees
No compensation or refund of fees shall be applicable as a result of any suspension or cancellation of the
GMDSS Certificate, for any reason whatsoever, or for any modification, variation, cancellation or
revocation of terms and conditions of the GMDSS Certificate.
15. Digital Implementation of these Rules
The Central Government, in furtherance of section 53 of the Act, may notify a portal for the digital
implementation of these rules, including for submission of applications, publication of syllabus, place,
manner, date and time of examination, declaration of results of examinations, grant of GMDSS Certificate,
modification of terms and conditions, any other permission, instruction or direction as may be required for
the operation of the GMDSS Certificates.
[F. No. 24-03/2024-UBB]
DEVENDRA KUMAR RAI, Jt. Secy.
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