New Delhi, Dec. 20 -- The central government has announced the formation of a dedicated agency for the security of ports and vessels, on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS), said an official statement on Friday.

The decision to constitute the agency, named as Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), was taken in a meeting convened by Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday.

Officials aware of the matter said the issue of ports and coastal security was one of the main topics during the recently held annual conference of director generals-inspector generals in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also held a specific session with a handful of police chiefs on the issue of ports and coastal security and the ways to s...