Govt plans to bring 27 new Bills in Winter Session

The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and Personal Data Protection Bill will be among 27 new Bills the Narendra Modi government is preparing to bring in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning next Monday.

The government has intimated the Parliament about its intent on the proposed legislations it wants to bring before Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the subjects of Bills range from finance to ease of doing business to taxation, health and education.

Besides the new Bills, it also intends to pass seven other pending Bills while withdrawing the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment Bill).

In the first session of 17th Lok Sabha, Parliament passed 30 Bills.

High on the government agenda is the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which the Opposition is vehemently against.

Top BJP leaders like Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been repeatedly saying that the government wants the Bill, which provides citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, to be passed claiming that it will result in illegal migrants. Opposition has alleged that the government's target is Muslims. The Bill will also have provisions to cancel the registration of Overseas Citizen of India card in case of violations.

Another one is Personal Data Protection Bill, which is aimed at ensuring the protection of personal data of citizens and ensuring growth of digital economy. The Bill is intended to regulate all aspects of data and various obligations which will be required to be fulfilled wherever personal data is involved.

Two ordinances on banning e-cigarettes -- The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill -- and amendments to taxation laws -- The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill -- to encourage fresh investments, stimulate growth and create fresh job opportunities will also find its way to Parliament. If the Parliament does not pass it during this session, the ordinance will lapse and the government will have to issue a fresh ordinance.

On the economy front, two crucial bills are on the anvil. The Companies (Second Amendment) Bill aims to decriminalise offences and facilitate ease of doing business and ease of living while the Competition (Amendment) Bill aims at addressing the needs for new age markets.

The government also plans to introduce the Industrial Relations Code Bill, which amalgamates Trade Unions Act, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act and Industrial Disputes Act. This will be the third Labour Code to be introduced in Parliament, which has already passed Wage Code Bill.

With attempts to pass it since 2007 not succeeding, the government will attempt once again this time to get the Pesticides Management Bill passed. The need for the new Bill has come to fore following the realisation that the experience of administering the Insecticides Act, 1968, over a period of four decades has exposed inadequacies of regulation.

Rationalising government role and increasing members' participation in the working of the multi state co-operative societies, the government also plans to bring a bill. The Multi State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill is envisaged to increase public faith in these societies and create a conducive environment for their growth and development as well as protecting the interest of the depositors from the "vested interest and mismanagement" of such societies.