Parliament on Wednesday passed a Bill to amend the Navy Act of 1957 omitting the word 'Royal' from the name, bringing the provisions for punishment at par with prevailing laws like the Criminal Procedure Code and removing other technical infirmities.

The Navy (Amendment) Bill, 1997, which was earlier passed by the Rajya Sabha, was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Defence Minister

Pranab Mukherjee and passed by a voice vote after a short discussion.

Replying to the debate, Mukherjee said unlike the army and the air force, 50% of navy personnel are civilians working in the docks, repairs and maintenance.

Following the government decision to reduce the staff strength by 10 per cent over five years, barring the operational staff, the navy is faced with a major problem.