President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave assent to seven Bills that were passed during the stormy Monsoon Session of the Parliament that concluded on Friday. This means the Bills now become laws.
An official gazette notification was also issued by the government.
The legislations that become operational are: The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023; The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Act, 2023; The National Dental Commission Act, 2023 and The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023.
The controversial Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill replaces the contentious Ordinance on the control of services in the national capital. Opposition parties, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have expressed their stiff resistance to the Bill.
On August 11, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 1, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 7. The Bill, granting the central government authority over bureaucrats in the national capital, was passed in the Upper House with 131 votes in favour and 102 votes against it.
The Delhi Services Bill sought to replace the Ordinance promulgated by the Centre on May 19.
The Ordinance was issued a week after the Supreme Court ruled that the Delhi Government has power over the administration and control of civil servants, except in matters relating to public order, police, and land.
Meanwhile, two days after the Lok Sabha cleared the controversial Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, it was also passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by means of a voice vote.
The Bill has retained the contents of the original version of the legislation proposed last November, including those that were red-flagged by privacy experts, such as exemptions for the Centre.
According to the Bill, the central government will have the right to exempt “any instrumentality of the state” from adverse consequences citing national security, relations with foreign governments, and maintenance of public order, among other things. It also includes a provision to impose up to Rs 250 crore penalty for data breaches as it seeks to curb misuse of individuals’ data by online platforms.
Opposition alleged that the law will turn the country into a surveillance state. Critics have expressed fear that allowing to process personal data without consent in nine broad instances could have serious implications for the fundamental right to privacy of citizens.
Meanwhile, the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act paves the way for enabling digital birth certificates that can be used as a single document for numerous purposes. The Bill also has provisions for allowing the birth certificate to be used for admission to educational institutions, issuing driving licence, registration of marriage, appointment to a government job and availing food welfare schemes.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act seeks to promote ease of business by decriminalising minor offences through amendments in 183 provisions of 42 Acts. The Act converts several fines to penalties, meaning that court prosecution is not necessary to administer punishments. It also removes imprisonment as a punishment for many offences.
Last week too, as many as seven new laws became effective after the President gave her assent following their passage by Parliament.
These were – The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Multi State Cooperative Societies Amendment Act 2023 and The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, reports PTI.