Tag: ls

Delhi Services Bill

Delhi Services Bill To Be Introduced In LS, Could Trigger Fresh Fireworks

By LokMarg

Amid the continuing logjam in both Houses over the Manipur situation, the Parliament will reconvene on Tuesday with the contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, over control of services in the national capital, likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to replace the Ordinance brought by the Centre in May, excluding certain services from the legislative competence of the Delhi legislative assembly.
According to the Lok Sabha legislative business notification, the Bill on the Delhi services is listed for introduction in the Lower House on Tuesday.

The Union Home Minister will move for leave to introduce a Bill to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, while also tabling the draft of the Bill for the consideration of the House.

Union Minister of State (Home) Nityanand Rai will also table an explanatory statement (Hindi and English versions) showing reasons for immediate legislation by the promulgation of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023.

Ahead of its introduction in the House, certain key changes have been made to the Bill.

The Bill is expected to see fresh fireworks from the Opposition in the Lower House, amid the ongoing impasse over the Manipur situation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had personally called on top Opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Sharad Pawar, in a bid to solicit their support for the Centre’s Ordinance on the control of services in the national capital.

Opposition members from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A), including the Congress, have already cleared their stand over the Bill, saying they would oppose it as it will destroy the federal structure of governance.

Meanwhile, six bills are to be tabled in Rajya Sabha as per the listing of the legislative business in the House.

Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal is to introduce the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha today to amend the Advocates Act, 1961.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will introduce the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha to provide for press, registration of periodicals.

Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal is to move the Mediation Bill, 2021 in the Rajya Sabha today for its consideration and passage to promote and facilitate mediation, especially institutional mediation, for the resolution of disputes, commercial or otherwise, enforce mediated settlement agreements, provide for a body for the registration of mediators, to encourage community mediation and to make online mediation as an acceptable and cost-effective process.

Amit Shah will also move the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha today for its consideration and passage to amend the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002. The Bill was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment, Bhupendra Yadav, will move the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha for its consideration and passage to amend the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The Bill was earlier passed by Lok Sabha.

Yadav will also move the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha for its consideration and passage to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The Bill was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Aam Aami Party MP Raghav Chadha filed a suspension of business notice in Parliament to discuss the “breakdown of law and order in the state of Manipur”.

“I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) of my intention to move the following motion for suspension of business listed for August 1, 2023, that this House do suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other business of the day to discuss the violence in Manipur which has resulted in loss of precious lives in Manipur due to failure and incompetence of Central & State Government,” read the notice filed by Chadha.

Since the start of the Monsoon Session on July 20, both Houses of Parliament have seen repeated disruptions and adjournments over the Manipur issue, with the combined Opposition adamant on a debate and statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Opposition brought a no-confidence motion last week in a bid to compel PM Modi to speak on the Manipur issue in the Parliament. (ANI)

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LS Passes Revamp Age-Based Certification

LS Passes Bill To Curb Film Piracy, Revamp Age-Based Certification

By LokMarg

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill to curb the menace of film piracy, revamp age-based certification given by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.

The Cinematograph (Amendment ) Bill 2023 was passed in the Lok Sabha with a voice vote despite protests by the members of the Opposition parties over the ongoing Manipur ethnic violence. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on July 27.

CBFC Denies Refusing Certification To ’72 Hoorain’ Trailer


Speaking on the Bill, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said “We (the government) will do the work of stopping piracy through this Bill.”

“Piracy is like cancer and we are trying to uproot it through this Bill,” Thakur said in support of the Bill, which has provisions to curb transmission of pirated film content on the internet as well as to classify films on the basis of age group, instead of the current practice of ‘U’, ‘A’, and ‘UA’.

“U” is for unrestricted public exhibition and “A” is restricted to adult audiences, while “UA” is for unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12 and “S” for special category audiences such as doctors and scientists.

The Bill seeks amendment to the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The amendments will address the issue of unauthorised recording and exhibition of films.

The draft Act constitutes the Board of Film Certification for certifying films for exhibition.  Such certifications may be subject to modifications and deletions. The Board may also refuse the exhibition of films.

The Bill adds certain additional certificate categories based on age. Under the Act, the film may be certified for exhibition without restriction (‘U’); without restriction, but subject to guidance of parents or guardians for children below 12 years of age (‘UA’); only to adults (‘A’); or only to members of any profession or class of persons (‘S’).

The Bill substitutes the UA category with the following three categories to also indicate age-appropriateness UA 7+, UA 13+, or UA 16+.  The age endorsement within the UA category by the Board will inform guidance of parents or guardians, and will not be enforceable by any other persons other than parents or guardians.

Films with an ‘A’ or ‘S’ certificate will require a separate certificate for exhibition on television, or any other media prescribed by the central government. The Board may direct the applicant to carry appropriate deletions or modifications for the separate certificate.

The Bill prohibits carrying out or abetting the unauthorised recording and unauthorised exhibition of films.  Attempting an unauthorised recording will also be an offence.

An unauthorised recording means making or transmitting an infringing copy of a film at a licensed place for film exhibition without the owner’s authorisation.  An unauthorised exhibition means the public exhibition of an infringing copy of the film for profit at a location not licensed to exhibit films or in a manner that infringes upon the copyright law.

Certain exemptions under the Copyright Act, 1957 will also apply to the above offences.  The 1957 Act allows limited use of copyrighted content without owner’s authorisation in specified cases such as private or personal use, reporting of current affairs, or review or critique of that work.

The offences will be punishable with imprisonment between three months and three years, and a fine between three lakh rupees and 5 per cent of the audited gross production cost.

Under the Act, the certificate issued by the Board is valid for 10 years. The Bill provides that the certificates will be perpetually valid.

The Act empowers the central government to examine and make orders in relation to films that have been certified or are pending certification. The Board is required to dispose matters in conformance to the order. (ANI)