Current Affairs July 2019 - Bills & Acts
1 - Parliament passed Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019
Parliament has passed the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill seeks to extend the period for reconstitution of the council from existing period of one year to two years. This would allow the tenure of the board of governors of the council to be extended for a further period of one year with effect from 17th of May this year.
The legislation will ensure promotion of quality education and research in the field of Homoeopathy. The legislation will put a check on flourishing of fake colleges.
2 - Cabinet approved The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to introduce The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. The Bill provides a mechanism for their social, economic and educational empowerment.
The Bill will lead to inclusiveness and will make the transgender persons productive members of the society. Transgender community is among one of the most marginalized communities facing problems ranging from social exclusion to discrimination, lack of education facilities, unemployment, lack of medical facilities and so on.
3 - Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed five important bills
Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed five important bills −
Arunachal Pradesh Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - seeks to amend the AP Lokayukta Act, 2014 (Act No 7 of 2014).
Arunachal Pradesh Goods and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - seeks to amend the AP Goods and Service tax Act, 2017 (Act No 7 of 2017).
Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Bill, 2019 - provides for making a legal framework for establishment of Municipal Corporation.
Arunachal Pradesh State Higher Education Council Bill, 2019 - provides for setting up of AP State Higher Education Council functional.
Arunachal Pradesh Protection of Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Bill, 2019 - seeks to prevent violence against doctors and other medical staff and damages to properties of medical institutions.
4 - Parliament passed Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill
Parliament has passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha. The bill seeks to amend Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and to further amend the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The Act provides for the use of Aadhaar number as proof of identity of a person, subject to authentication. The Bill also makes provision that an individual may voluntarily use his Aadhaar number to establish his identity, by authentication or offline verification.
5 - Parliament passed Dentists Amendment Bill, 2019
The Parliament has passed the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill seeks to make the Dental Council of India more effective and make changes in clauses relating to its membership and that of State Councils.
The representation of Central Government members and elected members would no longer be made mandatory in the Dental Councils as per the new legislation. It will help reduce redundancy by restructuring the Dental Councils.
6 - Cabinet approved PMGSY phase III, amendments to POCSO Act
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the launch of the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Under the third phase of the PMGSY, it is proposed to consolidate 1,25,000 km road length in the states at an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore out of which central share will be Rs 53,800 crore and the state would invest Rs 26,450 crore.
Cabinet has approved the Amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, POCSO, Act, 2012. It will make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children including the death penalty.
7 - Lok Sabha passes National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019
The Lok Sabha passed the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill was passed after 278 members of Parliament (MPs) supported it, with only 6 opposing it during voting.
The bill will empower the investigating agency, seek speedy trials and convictions. It will give more teeth to the NIA in probing terror cases in India and abroad. The NIA was set up in 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack.
8 - Lok Sabha passed Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019
The Lok Sabha has passed The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The Bill seeks to amend the Companies Act, 2013. It aims to tighten Corporate Social Responsibility compliance, transfer certain responsibilities to National Company Law Tribunal and re-categorise certain offences as civil offences.
Under the Bill, any unspent annual CSR funds must be transferred to one of the funds under Schedule 7 of the Act like Prime Minister’s Relief Fund within six months of the financial year. The bill also seeks to empower Registrar of Companies to initiate action for removal of a company’s name if the latter is not carrying out business activities as per the Act.
9 - Rajya Sabha passed RTI Amendment Bill, 2019
The Rajya Sabha passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The Lok Sabha had passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 22nd July.
In this amendment, it is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 so as to provide that the term of office, and the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners and the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioners, shall be as prescribed by the Central Government.
10 - Parliament passed Finance Bill 2019
The Finance (No. 2) Bill, 2019 was passed in the parliament that gives effect to the proposals of the Central Government for the year 2019-2020. The Finance Bill 2019 contains tax proposals for the current fiscal year.
The Union Budget 2019 proposed −
imposition of 1% TDS on cash withdrawal beyond Rs 1 crore
raising tax on petrol and diesel by ₹2 per litre each
10% import duty on newsprint
to increase surcharge from 15% to 25% on taxable income between Rs 2-5 crore and from 15% to 37% for taxable income above Rs 5 crore
reduce corporate tax to 25%
11 - Parliament passed NDIAC Bill, 2019
Parliament passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill, 2019. It seeks to provide for the establishment and incorporation of New Delhi International Arbitration Centre, NDIAC for the purpose of creating an independent and autonomous regime for institutionalized arbitration.
The Bill also seeks to acquire and transfer the undertakings of International Centre For Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR) to New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC). The NDIAC will be headed by a Chairperson, who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or a Judge of a High Court or an eminent person, to be appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
12 - Cabinet approved National Medical Commission Bill
The Union Cabinet has approved National Medical Commission Bill, 2019. The bill provides for setting up of a National Medical Commission in place of Medical Council of India and repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956.
The features of the bill include, the Common final year MBBS Exams will be known as National Exit Test (NEXT) which would serve as Licentiate Exam, for entrance to Post Graduate medical course and as screening test of foreign medical graduates. The Bill also puts a cap fees on 50% of the seats in MBBS and PG colleges.
13 - Telangana Legislative Assembly passed three bills
Telangana Legislative Assembly passed three Bills replacing ordinances relating to Municipal Laws, Regulation of Age of Superannuation, and State Commission for Debt Relief.
The bills are meant for facilitating more divisions in Municipalities, increasing the retirement age of professors in Medical Colleges to 65 years. The bill aimed at improving transparency and answerability of the Urban Local Bodies besides consolidate and provide constitution of Municipalities other than Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in the state.
14 - Parliament passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019
The Rajya Sabha passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 unanimously. The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 aims to accelerate the process of appointment of chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019, inter alia, provides −
that a person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court is also made eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India
to increase the Members of the Commission from two to three of which, one shall be a woman.
15 - Rajya Sabha passed POCSO Amendment Bill with provision of death penalty
Rajya Sabha passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill seeks to enhance punishment, including a provision for death penalty, for committing sexual crimes against children. The Bill defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child including photograph, video or digital indistinguishable from an actual child.
According to the amendment bill, those committing penetrative sexual assaults on a child below 16 years of age would be punished with imprisonment up to 20 years, which might extend to life imprisonment as well as fine. In case of aggravated penetrative sexual assault, maximum punishment to death penalty.
16 - Madhya Pradesh assembly passed bill raising OBC quota to 27%
The MP Assembly passed the MP Public Service (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill 2019 raising reservation in government jobs and education for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 14% to 27%. It is pending for the Governor's and President's approval.
With this amendment, reservation in MP will touch 73 per cent, including 10 per cent quota for the Economically Weaker Section from the general category. Reservation for SCs in MP is 16% and for STs stands at 20%.
