Bills on Delhi services, data protection among 7 to get President nod

The Delhi services law is among seven Bills signed by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The other laws which have now come into force are: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act; The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act; The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act; The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Act; The National Dental Commission Act; and The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act.

The GNCTD Act provides for the creation of a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi. The Chief Minister is one of the three members of the Authority, while the two others are bureaucrats. The decisions by the Authority are to be taken by a majority and, in the event of a dispute, the matter will be referred to the L-G whose decision will be final.

It was passed by Rajya Sabha on August 7 and Lok Sabha on August 3 amid protests by the Opposition. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asserted in Parliament that it does not violate the Supreme Court order.

The data protection law lays out procedures on how corporations and the government itself can collect and use information and personal data of India’s citizens. While it has serious provisions for the way private entities can deal with users’ personal data, many of those yardsticks do not apply to the Centre itself, which enjoys wide-ranging exemptions and power over the enforcement process.

The amendment to the IIM Act dilutes the full autonomy given to the institutes, by granting the government a say in their functioning. It makes the President the Visitor, with the power to appoint the Chairperson of the Board of Governors.’

Introducing the Jan Vishwas Bill in Rajya Sabha, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal had said it would promote ease of doing business. It seeks to decriminalise minor offences through amendments in 183 provisions of 42 Acts administered by 19 ministries, with the aim of reducing compliance burden on individuals and businesses.

The legislation on registration of births and deaths will allow the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission to an education institute, issuance of a driving licence, preparation of a voter list, Aadhaar number, registration of marriage or appointment to a government job. It aims to create a national and state-level database of registered births and deaths which would ensure efficient and transparent delivery of public services, social benefits and digital registration, as per the government.

While the Dental Commission Act provides for a regulatory framework by establishing the National Dental Commission, The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act provides for a fixed 50-year production lease for offshore minerals.