Lok Sabha passes Bill to give NIA more teeth
   Date :16-Jul-2019
 
LOK Sabha on Monday passed a Bill to give more powers to the National Investigation Agency with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting that the law will be used to finish off terrorism and not to target any community. The amendments to the NIA Act will allow the agency to probe terrorist acts against Indians and Indian interests abroad, cybercrimes and cases of human trafficking. The NIA was set up in 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack that had claimed 166 lives. Since 2017, the Union Home Ministry has been pushing for giving more powers to the NIA to meet fresh challenges.
 
 
Defending the bill, the Government refuted Opposition’s allegations of “misuse” of the NIA law to target members of a community, and stressed that people have given the mandate to the Government to protect the country from terrorism. Some MPs said the anti-terror law is misused at times to target members of a particular community. Replying to the discussion, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said the Government is committed to protect the country from terrorism. While 278 members supported its consideration, only six opposed it. The bill was later passed by a voice vote.
REFUTING Opposition’s claims of “misuse” of the NIA law, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the Modi Government will never abuse it to target anyone but will ensure that terrorism is finished off irrespective of the religion of the accused. In an intervention during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Shah also targeted the Congress-led UPA Government for repealing the anti-terror act POTA, saying it was not done because of its alleged misuse but to “save its vote bank”.
 
 
He said terror attacks witnessed an upsurge after the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was repealed resulting in the same UPA Government being forced to constitute the NIA after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Shah sought support of all parties for the Bill’s passage, saying a division in the House on the issue of strengthening the agency will send out a wrong message and boost the morale of terrorists. The Bill allows the National Investigation Agency to investigate terror attacks on Indians and Indian interests abroad. Parliament should speak in one voice in giving powers to the NIA to send out a message to terrorists and the world, he asserted. His response came as several Opposition leaders criticised the Bill and accused the Government of using investigating agencies for “political vendetta”. Some MPs said the anti-terror law is misused at times to target members of a particular community.
 
Govt introduces Bill to ban commercial surrogacy
 
COMMERCIAL surrogacy will soon be banned and only close relatives will be permitted to act as surrogates to infertile couples for “ethical altruistic” reasons. On Monday, the Government introduced the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha that also provides for constitution of surrogacy boards at national and state levels, as well as that the intending couples should not abandon such a child under any condition. Only Indian couples who have been legally married for at least five years would be allowed to opt for surrogacy, as per the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, which was introduced by Health and Family Welfare minister Harsh Vardhan.
 
 
The Bill seeks to “allow ethical altruistic surrogacy to the intending infertile Indian married couple between the age of 23-50 years and 26-55 years for female and male, respectively”.
 
‘Developing infra in 15 identified tourism circuits’
 
THE Tourism Ministry is developing public infrastructure like tourist parks and tourism clusters in 15 identified circuits across the country, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said during Question Hour that the initiative has been taken under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. “Tourist Circuits is developing tourism infrastructure in 15 identified circuits, across the country, having tourist potential in a planned and prioritised manner,” he said.
 
 
Patel said under this scheme, the Ministry is developing public infrastructure in circuits including tourist parks and tourism clusters.
 
 
Centre says no to TN, Puducherry for NEET exemption
THE Centre has turned down requests from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu Governments to exempt students from appearing in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate and postgraduate medical admissions, according to the HRD Ministry. The information was shared by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in response to a written question in the Lok Sabha. “Medical education comes under the purview of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which has informed that requests have been received from the state governments of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to exempt students from appearing in NEET.
 
 
No proposal to recognise one yr Master’s degree from foreign countries, says Nishank: THERE is no proposal at present to recognise one year postgraduate degree obtained from foreign countries, the HRD Ministry said on Monday. The information was shared by ‘Nishank’ in response to a written question in Lok Sabha. “As per the current policy, equivalence is accorded by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) only for those Master’s degree awarded by approved, recognised or accredited foreign universities that are of two-year duration,” he said.