The government on Thursday listed bills on personal data protection, to amend forest conservation laws and on the contentious ordinance on Delhi services for the monsoon session of Parliament beginning next week.
A bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat listed 21 news bills for the monsoon session, including a draft legislation to check film piracy, introduce age-based categories for censor certification and to set up the National Research Foundation.
Also listed for consideration and passage during the session were the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill and the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, among others.
Apart from 21 new bills, seven old bills are also listed for the monsoon session, which begins on July 20 and will continue till August 11.
The bills also include one seeking changes in the list of scheduled tribes for Jammu and Kashmir, and another for including Mahra and Mahara as synonyms of Mehar, Mehra and Mahar in the list of scheduled castes in Chhattisgarh.
One bill also seeks to include the Valmiki community as a synonym of Chura, Bhangi, Balmiki and Mehtar in the list of scheduled castes of Jammu and Kashmir, according to the bulletin.
The National Research Foundation Bill, 2023, seeks to establish the National Research Foundation, besides repeal of the SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) Act, 2008.
Another bill seeks to repeal the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905, by incorporating its provisions into the Railways Act, 1989.
There is also a bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, for introducing exploration license and to de-list some minerals from the list of atomic minerals, according to the bulletin.
The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to make the process of sanctioning of films for exhibitions more effective and in tune with the changing times by including provisions in the Act to check film piracy, introduce age-based categories of certification and remove redundant provisions in the existing Act.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to accommodate progressive changes in society during the last five decades, making registration process people friendly and to update other databases at the national and the state levels using database of registered births and deaths.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to change the nomenclature of "weak and under-privileged classes (social castes)" provided in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, and the Rules of 2005 to "Other Backward Classes" as recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Socially Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBCC) set by the Union territory administration, according to the bulletin.
Another bill seeks to regulate the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs, medical devices and cosmetics.
There are also bills for setting up a National Dental Commission and a National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC). The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2023, is aimed at rationalising the prohibited area and other amendments.
There is one bill that is aimed at establishing the National Cooperative University.
The Postal Services Bill seeks to replace the Indian Post Office Act of 1898, which governs the functioning of post offices in the country, according to the bulletin.
Besides the 21 new bills, the other bills include the Mediation Bill, 2021, which was introduced in Rajya Sabha in December, 2021, and the Report of the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice which was laid on the table of the Lok Sabha last year.
There are also bills that have been already introduced in Lok Sabha and were sent to the joint or standing committees.
