LS passes Patents Bill

The crucial Patents (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath assured the House that adequate safeguards have been provided in the Bill to protect the interest of the Indian pharma industry and the poor people.

The Bill was passed after carrying out 15 official amendments moved by the minister and a walkout by opposition National Democratic Alliance, which protested against the government not heeding its demand for referring the measure to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.

The long-awaited bill, which replaces an ordinance brought in this regard on December 23 to meet the World Trade Organisation obligations, was passed after Left parties did not press for some of their amendments.

Bowing to the demand of Left parties, Kamal Nath, however, agreed to refer two of the amendments pertaining to new chemical entities and micro-organisms to an expert committee.

If the expert committee finds more safeguards and flexibility is needed on these, the government would bring in necessary amendments to the Bill, Nath assured the House.

The Bill provides for product patents in drugs, agri-products and embedded software. All plants are out of the purview of the legislation.

The Bill was passed by voice vote after the House negated the amendment moved by Bachi Singh Rawat and Uday Singh (both BJP) to refer it to Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Kamal Nath said the Joint Parliamentary Committee has already deliberated the second amendment of the bill for two years and, therefore, there should not be any differences now on it.

Also the third amendment, now brought about, was first moved by the NDA government in December 2003. As the bill has been in public domain for two years, the Minister said there was no reason to refer it to the Standing Committee again.

Nath said the Bill has not been brought in "casual or callous" manner as alleged by the Opposition. Nor has the Bill brought at the dictate of multinationals.

"We are not multinational driven but nationally driven," he said adding the UPA government would to everything possible to protect national interests.