Parliament’s Winter Session: Here are the 26 Bills to be introduced

Parliament’s Winter Session is kicking off today. In what promises to be a busy session for the government, a total of 26 key Bills are listed to be introduced.

The 26 legislations range from the withdrawal of the three farm laws, to the Cryptocurrency Bill.

Here’s a lowdown on the Bills that will come up for discussion during the Winter Session, which is slated to wrap on December 23.

Also read: Farm laws aside, Centre faces plenty of bouncers in Winter Session

Here’s a lowdown on the key Bills that Parliament will take up for business.

1) Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021: The Bill follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November 19 announcement of a rollback of the three farm laws enacted in 2020. The PM’s announcement comes after a year-long protest by farmers mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Punjab.

Sensing farmers anger in poll-bound Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, the government has decided to pass the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on priority.

2) Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill: As the agenda for the upcoming session of Parliament was listed, the Bill seeking to ban the private cryptocurrencies caught everyone’s attention.

The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, was also listed for the Budget session in February also, but it never came up for discussion.

The domestic crypto market went into a tizzy soon after the news on the Bill came in on Tuesday night. Several coins fell more than 20 per cent.

3) Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021: The Bill seeks to amend the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, which provides for the constitution of a Central Vigilance Commission to conduct inquiries into offences alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Earlier this month, the Modi government brought in an ordinance to amend the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act, 2003.

The CVC Act deals with the appointment and tenure of the ED Director. The ordinance was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind and published in the Gazette notification on November 14.

4) Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021: Along with the CVC Act, 2003, the government brought in another ordinance Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946. The DSPE Act is responsible for the appointment and tenure of the CBI Director.

The DSPE Act was also signed by President Ram Nath Kovind and published in the Gazette notification on November 14.

5) Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021: The Bill is slated to be tabled to replace an ordinance promulgated in September. It seeks to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 to correct a drafting error.

Two separate pieces of legislations are likely to be piloted to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

While one will replace the September ordinance, the other will bring substantive changes like decriminalisation of personal consumption of drugs and casting a wider net on ‘controlled substances’.

6) Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021: With Uttar Pradesh elections slated to be held early next year, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment Bill), which aims to amend the state’s SC and ST list, gains significance.

7) Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021: A Bill to amend the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes of Tripura will also be considered.

8) Emigration Bill, 2021: The Bill aims to establish a robust, transparent and comprehensive emigration management framework that facilitates safe and orderly migration.

9) Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021: The legislation aims to amend Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act.

The Bill will fulfil the Budget 2019 announcement regarding the separation of National Pension System Trust from Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), and also fulfil the Budget 2020 announcement for ensuring universal pension coverage as well as strengthening PFRDA.

10) Metro Rail (Construction, Operation and Maintenance) Bill, 2021: The Bill is slated to replace the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002 and the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, and to provide a legal framework for construction, operation and maintenance of metro rail projects including those under Public-Private Partnership mode.

11) High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021: The Bill seeks to amend the High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954, and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958.

12) Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2021: The Bill aims to provide for enhanced new and additional financial, technological and capacity-building support to meet India’s Paris Agreement commitments and fully implement the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in a timely manner.

Other Bills:

13) The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021
14) The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021
15) The Indian Maritime Fisheries Bill, 2021
16) The National Dental Commission Bill, 2021
17) The Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020
18) The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021
19) The Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021
20) The Cantonment Bill, 2021
21) The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
22) The National Nursing Midwifery Commission Bill, 2021
23) The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021
24) The National Transport University Bill, 2021
25) The Mediation Bill, 2021
26) The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019.