LOK Sabha passed the Immigration and ForeignersBill, 2025 on Thursday, with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting that those who come to India for business, education and investment arewelcome,butthosewhopose athreattosecuritywillfacestringent action. “India is not a dharamshala(resthouse),” Shah asserted while replying to the debate on the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha. The bill was later passed by a voice vote after various amendments moved by Opposition members were negated. One of the key provisions in the bill is that anyone found to beusingaforgedpassportorvisa for entering India or staying in or exiting from the country will be punishable with a jailterm of uptosevenyearsandafinewhich could extend to Rs 10 lakh. The bill also seeks to ensureaclose monitoringofeveryonewhovisits India, Shah said.

 

Shah said the bill is necessary tostrengthenthecountry’ssecurity and econom y, p r omote manuf ac - turingandtrade,getglobalrecognition for the education system andhelpuniversities earn international repute. It will ensure thatthe country gets up-to-date information about every foreigner visiting India, he added. HealsohitoutattheTrinamool Congress(TMC) and previous Congress Government at the Centre for allowing Rohingiyas andBangladeshis enterIndiaon the basis of Aadhaar cards and voter cards earlier from Assam and now West Bengal. He said whilesecurityforcesareblamed, the real culprits are the TMC GovernmentinWestBengal and theearlierCongressGovernment in Assam.

 

“India’s borderwith Bangladesh is 2,216 km long, out of which fencingwork has beencompleted on 1,653 km. Out of the remaining563km,fencingisnot possible on 112 KM due to geographical conditions. “But fencing in 412 km is incompletebecauseBengalgovernment is not giving land,” the minister told the House. The Lok Sabha on Thursday gave its nod to two bills after making technical amendments following their approval by the Rajya Sabha. The Disaster Management (Amendment)Bill,2024 and The Railways (Amendment)Bill,2024 were passed by the LokSabhalast year afterwhichtheywenttothe Rajya Sabha. The year 75th has been replaced with 76th in the enactingformulasofthetwobills. Theamendmentsapprovedby the Lower House related to year after Independence. The laws will come into force onthe lapse of a year after the two bills were passed by the Lok Sabha. The Bills,whentheybecomelaws,will have the year 2025 instead of 2024 suffixed with their names.