Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Parliament proceedings | Lok Sabha passes Bills to replace British-era criminal laws
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three amended Bills that seek to repeal and replace criminal laws which date back to colonial times. This criminal law reform brings terrorism offences into a general crime law for the first time, drops the crime of sedition, and makes mob lynching punishable by death.
New criminal Bills have provisions for time-bound investigation and trial: Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that after the implementation of the three new criminal Bills there would be a uniform justice system throughout the country. He said the proposed laws were victim-centred and fixed the accountability of the police. He said an independent Director of Prosecution would be appointed at the district and State levels, where the role of the police would only be advisory.
Government issues COVID-19 alert, says no clustering of JN.1 cases
Admitting that India has registered a rise in the daily COVID-19 positivity rate in some States, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, while issuing an alert, said that no clustering of cases had been reported in the new JN.1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
INDIA parties may move court to challenge criminal code Bill
Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners could approach the Supreme Court to challenge some of the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay (Second) Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) and Bharatiya Samanta (Second) Bill that seek to replace the existing criminal laws.
Mamata meets PM, calls for release of pending central funds
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with a delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and sought “release of funds due to the State without further delay and without political considerations”.
The Lok Sabha on December 20 passed the omnibus Telecom Bill 2023 which will replace existing laws, including the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act. The Bill seeks to reform and simplify the regulatory and licensing regime for telecommunications and remove bottlenecks in creating telecom infrastructure. It also allows the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security and provide a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum.
The Rajya Sabha considered and returned two Bills — the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill and the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill — on December 20 in the absence of Opposition members, who boycotted the proceedings demanding a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of breach in Parliament security.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, headed by senior Biju Janata Dal (BJP) MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, tabled a detailed report on the implementation of the Centre’s policy on child labour in Parliament on December 20. The report, titled ‘National Policy on Child Labour – An Assessment’, states the country has a long way to go in eliminating child labour, and requires changes to the policies and laws that govern the issue. The 582-page report touches upon almost all aspects of the issue, and recommends various Ministries of the Centre and the States take coordinated steps to address it.
Railways overcome major tunnelling hurdle in Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project
A substantial hurdle, which was delaying work in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, was overcome after the Indian Railways achieved a breakthrough in a three kilometre-long tunnel in the Jammu section of the project on Wednesday. The big ticket project is slated to be inaugurated before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and will enable the running of passenger trains between Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, the Indian Railways runs a Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Katra in Jammu.
India will ‘definitely look into’ any information on alleged Pannun assassination attempt: PM Modi
India will “definitely” examine the allegations of an attempt to assassinate U.S.-based pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun if provided with adequate evidence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview to the Financial Times, published on Wednesday. In his first public remarks on the case, Mr. Modi highlighted his government’s commitment to the rule of law and expressed concern about the activities of pro-Khalistan groups based in western countries.
China’s Xi says strong Russia ties a ‘strategic choice’
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that maintaining close ties with Russia is a “strategic choice”, calling for deeper bilateral cooperation during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, state media reported. The strong relationship between the two nations, which has endured despite Russia’s military invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in early 2022, has faced pointed criticism from Western leaders in recent years.
EU reaches agreement on reforming bloc’s migration laws
EU countries and lawmakers reached an agreement on Wednesday on an overhaul of the bloc’s laws on handling asylum-seekers and migrants, officials said. The reform includes speedier vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, accelerated deportation for rejected asylum applicants and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern countries experiencing big inflows.
Sports Ministry confirms Satwik, Chirag for Khel Ratna, Shami and 25 others for Arjuna award
The Sports Ministry on Wednesday put its stamp on the nominations for the annual sports awards, confirming the prestigious Khel Ratna honour for badminton players Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and the Arjuna award for 26 sports persons, including pacer Mohammed Shami.