The Week In Parliament

It has been a week that saw government passing many bills in Parliament. With the passage of Companies Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha (Upper House), Parliament has replaced all ordinances- which were in force before the budget session started- with bills is a major achievement for the NDA. A total of 10 ordinances were in force after the NDA government was unable to clear related bills during the last Lok Sabha. The list included the Triple Talaq Bill, formation of the National Medical Commission, Jammu and Kashmir (Amendment bill) among other legislations.

After the lengthy debate on Triple Talaq ended, the Companies Act Amendment bill was taken up without delay. A key change in the bill pertains to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending, wherein companies would have mandatorily keep unspent money in a special account. The major highlight of the week was the passage of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Nearly two years after the Supreme Court set aside the centuries old practice of instant triple divorce or ‘talaq-e-biddat’ calling it arbitrary and not an integral part of religious practice, the government took up this important legislation. The Bill got the stamp of Parliament when it was cleared by Rajya Sabha, five days after it got the nod from the Lok Sabha.

The passage of the bill is a major win for the government given that the ruling NDA lacks numbers in Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking to Twitter, hailed the passage of the Bill saying “An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history. Parliament abolishes Triple Talaq and corrects a historical wrong done to the Muslim Women. This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society.” India rejoices today! Prime Minister Modi said. Home Minister Amit Shah too described it a great day for democracy. Now the practice of instantly divorcing wives by uttering “Talaq” thrice will be punishable by a jail term of up to three years. The President has also given his assent to the Bill, thereby making it an Act.

The Upper House also passed the Bankruptcy Code Bill, Medical Commission Bill, 2019, Unregulated Deposit Scheme Bill 2019, The Companies Amendment Bill, The Motor vehicles Amendment. The Lok Sabha (Lower House) too, cleared the Code on Wages Bill, River Water Disputes Bill and Consumer Protection Bill besides others.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that amendments with regard to taxation in the current Budget would allow ease of business and encourage the ‘Make in India’ scheme.​Government deems it necessary that the RBI takes over the regulation of Non–banking Financial companies (NBFCs).

The Rajya Sabha passed an amended version of the three year old Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The IBC Code Amendment Bill, 2019 seeks to remove ambiguities and facilitate smooth conduct of the corporate and insolvency resolution process. The Bill also fixes a deadline of 330 days for resolving cases referred to the IBC.

The House of Elders also unanimously passed the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019 that seeks to provide a comprehensive mechanism to ban the unregulated deposits schemes.

This week, the Lok Sabha passed the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019 that seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 .Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that “We are bringing in this to ensure good medical students and colleges for bringing in transparency”.

The House of People also passed the Consumer Protection Bill that seeks to establish the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to protect and enforce consumer Rights. The CCPA will take immediate action after a complaint is filed by even a single consumer and the authority can also file a class suit. The bill could replace Consumer Protection Act.1986. The Lok Sabha also cleared the Code on Wages Bill - a key step for labour reforms.

Script: Yogesh Sood, Journalist

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