Armed Guards possible on Indian ships

The Shipping Ministry in India has made a proposal to the Government that armed guards should be allowed to man freight ships to protect them from pirates. A decision will be taken after discussions between the ministries of law, defence and shipping.  Under current law, civilian mariners are not allowed to carry fire arms, but recently some countries have allowed merchant shipping to used armed guards.  The government in India would like to have a new statute with provisions to effectively tackle the problem which actually happens far away from Indian shores.