Meaning of Bill

'Bill' is the Hindi version of the English bill. In this article the word 'Bill' is used in relation to 'law passed by Parliament'. The Parliament of England is considered to be the father of parliamentary system in modern times.

legislative process in parliament

The Constitution of India has fixed certain provisions for legal law. Apart from these arrangements, detailed description about the legal process is mentioned in the law rules of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. According to the constitutional arrangements, any bill other than a financial bill can be introduced in either house of the Parliament. A bill is sent for the assent of the President only after it is passed by both the houses. A joint session of both the Houses can be called by the President to resolve the differences in respect of the Bill in both the Houses. Except for these provisions, the statutory law is based on the rules made by the Parliament. A similar legal arrangement has been made in both the houses. Every bill needs to go through three readings to be passed in the Parliament. There are two types of bills introduced in the Parliament-

  1. Government bill,
  2. Private bill
Government bill Private bill
It is introduced by the minister in the Parliament. It is introduced in the Parliament by any member other than the Minister.
It displays the policies of the government (ruling party). It displays the views of the opposition parties on public issues.
It is fully expected to be passed by the Parliament. It has little chance of being passed in Parliament.
The government may have to resign if the government bill is rejected by the parliament. If it is rejected, there is no effect on the government.
A government bill must have seven days' notice to be introduced in the Parliament. One month's notice should be given to introduce a private bill in Parliament.
It is prepared by the concerned department in consultation with the Law Department. Its creation is the responsibility of the member concerned.

Introduce a bill

According to Article 107(1) of the Constitution, an ordinary bill, other than a money or financial bill, can be introduced in either house by any member. The member who introduces the bill has to give one month's advance notice to the Speaker or the Chairman of the House. Along with such information, it is necessary to state the reason and purpose of introducing the Bill and the details of expenditure to be incurred on the Bill, etc. The Speaker then fixes the date for the introduction of the Bill. The Bill is introduced on a fixed date. If there is opposition to the Bill at this stage, the Speaker of the House asks the members presenting the Bill and the opposing members to express their views.

After this, the decision regarding the bill is taken by a simple majority of the members present. After getting permission from the House, the member concerned reads the title of the Bill and informs the House about the general principles of the Bill. At this stage there is no elaborate debate on the Bill. After the Bill is thus introduced, it is published in the Official Gazette and a printed copy is given to each member. Thus, the Bill enters the second reading after the first reading.

In addition to the above method of introducing a bill, the Speaker can order a Bill to be published in the Official Gazette and in such a situation there is no need for the Bill to be introduced in the House and the second reading of the Bill is started. Often the official legislature is published in the gazette and the bill is directly introduced from the second reading. This is because there is no doubt about the acceptance of government bills by the House.

List of important bills passed in the year 2020

Jammu and Kashmir Official Language Bill, 2020

Ministry Home Ministry
Proposed in Lok Sabha 22 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 22 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 The Jammu and Kashmir Official Language Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 22 September 2020. The Bill declares Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English to be the official languages ​​to be used for official purposes in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This provision shall come into force from the date on which the Administrator of the Union Territory shall notify. The Bill states that the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory shall function in these official languages. The Bill clarifies that English will continue to be used for the administrative and legislative purposes for which English was used before the Act came into force.

Ministry Home Ministry
Proposed in Lok Sabha 20 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 21 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 20, 2020. The bill amends the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. The Act regulates the approval and utilization of foreign contributions by individuals, organizations and companies. Foreign contribution is the donation or transfer of any currency, security or article (more than a specified value) from a foreign source. Under the Act, there is a ban on foreign contributions of people like election candidates, editors or publishers of newspapers, judges, government servants, any member of the legislature and political parties, etc. The Bill includes public servants (as defined in the Indian Penal Code) in this list. Public servants include any person who is on government service or salary or is remunerated from the government for any public service.

Social Security Code, 2020

Ministry Labor and Employment
Proposed in Lok Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 22 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

Labor and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar introduced the Social Security Code, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on September 19, 2020. This code takes into account nine social security laws, including the Employees' Provident Fund Act, 1952, the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 and the Unorganized Workers' Social Security Act, 2008, etc. Social security refers to measures that ensure the provision of healthcare facilities and income security to workers. Social Security Schemes: Under the Code, the Central Government may notify various social security schemes for the benefit of workers. These include Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) and Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme. They provide provident fund, pension fund and insurance scheme respectively. The government may also notify: (i) Employees' State Insurance (ESI) scheme to provide sickness, maternity and other benefits, (ii) on completion of five years of employment (or in some cases less than five years). , such as journalists and fixed-term workers), (iii) maternity benefits to women employees, (iv) cess for the welfare of building and construction workers, and (v) employees in case of occupational injury or illness, and Compensation to their dependents.

Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020

Ministry Labor and Employment
Proposed in Lok Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 22 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 19, 2020. This code replaces three labor laws (i) Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, (ii) Trade Union Act, 1926 and (iii) Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. Under the Code, seven or more members of a trade union may apply to register it. Trade unions with at least 10% members or 100 workers (whichever is less) shall be registered. The Central and State Governments may recognize trade unions or confederations of trade unions as Central or State trade unions respectively.

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020

Ministry Labor and Employment
Proposed in Lok Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 22 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

Labor and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar introduced the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on September 19, 2020. The Code integrates 13 existing Acts regulating health, safety and working conditions. These include the Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952 and the Contract Workers (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. The Code will apply to establishments with a minimum of 10 workers. This will apply to all mines and docks and establishments where hazardous or hazardous work is carried out (as the Central Government may notify). Certain provisions of the Code, such as health and working conditions, will apply to all employees. Employees will include workers and all those who earn salary from managerial, administrative or supervisory functions.

The Taxation and Other Laws (Exemption from Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020

Ministry Finance
Proposed in Lok Sabha 18 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 22 September 2020

Through this bill, a provision has been made to give the same tax benefit in the PM Cares Fund as the tax exemption is available in the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. The Taxation and Other Laws (Exemption from Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 was brought in March. Responding to the brief discussion on the Bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that during COVID-19 it was necessary to bring an ordinance to extend the various compliance timelines under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Income Tax Act.

Ministry Finance
Proposed in Rajya Sabha 15 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 21 September 2020

Parliament has approved the 'Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020'. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), insolvency proceedings can be taken simultaneously against companies defaulting on loan payments and giving personal guarantees.

Bipartite Netting of Qualified Financial Contracts Bill, 2020

Ministry Finance
Proposed in Lok Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 20 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 23 September 2020

The Bilateral Netting of Qualified Financial Contracts Bill, 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 14, 2020. The Bill provides a legal framework for bilateral netting of qualified financial contracts that are over the counter derivatives contracts. Settlement of claims arising out of a transaction between two parties is called netting in which the amount payable or receivable from one party to the other is determined. The Bill enforces the netting of qualified financial contracts. A QFC is any bilateral contract that has been notified by the relevant authority as a QFC. This authority can be Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) or International Financial Services Authority (IFSCA). . The Central Government may, by notification, exclude contracts between certain parties or with certain conditions from the list of QFCs.

Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Ministry Health
Proposed in Rajya Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 19 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 21 September 2020

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on September 14, 2020. The Bill amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The Act contains provisions related to the prevention of dangerous epidemics. The Bill amends the Act to provide protection to health workers battling epidemics, and expands the powers of the central government to prevent the spread of such diseases. The bill repeals the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance which was promulgated on April 22, 2020. The Bill defines healthcare workers as persons who are at risk of exposure to epidemics in the course of performing their duties. These include: (i) public and clinical healthcare providers such as doctors and nurses, (ii) any person empowered under the Act to prevent outbreaks of disease, and (iii) any other person whom the State The government has designated to do so.

The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Ministry Finance
Proposed in Lok Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 16 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 22 September 2020

Rajya Sabha passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 by voice vote. The bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with an aim to protect the interest of depositors and to regulate the functioning of cooperative banks by bringing them under the regulatory framework of the Reserve Bank of India. But Parliament was not in session in June, so an ordinance to this effect was promulgated by the President on 26th of that month. The Bill seeks to replace the Ordinance and amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on 16 September. The Bill regulates 'banking activities' and does not apply to other co-operative societies. Entry 45 of List I of the Constitution empowers the central government to make laws for "banking".

Amendment of the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020,

Ministry Parliamentary affairs
Proposed in Lok Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 15 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 18 September 2020

The government has also amended some notified rules of the 1954 Act to cut some allowances of MPs for one year. These include constituency allowance and office allowance. The above mentioned changes in pay and allowances have been made for one year which is effective from 1st April, 2020. The purpose of the cuts in salary and allowances is that the Center gets financial resources for the prevention of the Kovid-19 epidemic.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Ministry Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Proposed in Lok Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 15 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 22 September 2020

Parliament has passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Under this, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onions and potatoes have been removed from the list of essential commodities.

Indian Medical Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Ministry Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Griha Pravesh
Proposed in Lok Sabha 14 September 2020
Passed in Lok Sabha 21 September 2020
Passed in Rajya Sabha 18 September 2020

Rajya Sabha today passed the Homeopathy Central Council Amendment Bill, 2020 and the Indian Medicine Central Council Amendment Bill, 2020. The Homeopathy Central Council Amendment Bill The Homeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 has been amended. The Act provides for a Central Council of Homeopathy, which will regulate homoeopathic education and practice. The bill will replace the Homeopathy Central Council Amendment Ordinance issued in April. Under this, the 1973 Act has been amended to increase the term of the Central Council from two years to three years. The Indian Medicine Central Council Amendment Bill, 2020 has been brought to amend the Indian Medical Central Council Act of 1970. This act regulates the teaching and practice of Indian systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathic.

Now practice related questions and see what you learnt?

Bill GK Questions and Answers 🔗

Read also:

Goverment Bills FAQs:

The Right to Information Act will come into force w.e.f. 12th October, 2005. The Act extends to the whole of India except Jammu & Kashmir.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha certifies the bill as a money bill before sending it to the Upper House, and decides that the Speaker's order is binding on both the Houses.

It must return the bill to the Lok Sabha within 14 days, either with or without recommendations. If the Rajya Sabha does not return the bill to the Lok Sabha within 14 days, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both the Houses in the form originally passed by the Lok Sabha.

A money bill can be introduced in the State Legislative Assembly with the prior permission of the Governor of the State. Some Bills can be introduced in the State Legislature only with the prior consent of the President.

The Finance Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha. However, the Rajya Sabha can recommend amendments in the Bill. The bill has to be passed by the Parliament within 75 days of its introduction.

  Last update :  Wed 24 Jan 2024
  Post Views :  2502
  Post Category :  Indian Politics