Here are some interesting Private Member bills introduced in the current Lok Sabha session
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2017
The current Lok Sabha session saw the introduction of many private member bills. Here is a compilation on some of the interesting ones.
A member of the Lok Sabha other than those part of the Union Council of Ministers is treated as a Private Member for introduction of any legislation. A private member desirous of introducing a legislation can do so on a day dedicated to such business. But any legislation seeking to amend the constitution has to be approved by the standing committee on Private Members bills. Here is a compilation of some interesting private member bills introduced in the current Lok Sabha session.
Prevention of Discrimination of all Kinds – Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor introduced the Anti-Discrimination and Equality Bill, 2016 to ensure equality to every citizen of the country by providing protection against all forms of social discrimination. This is one of the most comprehensive private member bills introduced. The bill seeks to prevent any form of discrimination based on caste, race, ethnicity, descent, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion and belief, tribe, disability, linguistic identity, HIV status, nationality, marital status, food preference, skin tone, place of residence, place of birth or age etc. The bill defines direct & indirect discrimination apart from providing for Central & State Equality Commissions to deal with cases of discrimination.
Recall of elected representatives – Varun Gandhi
BJP MP Varun Gandhi introduced the bill seeking to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that contains proposals for recall of elected representatives. The bill proposes that any voter of a particular constituency can file a recall petition with the speaker of the relevant house provided the petition is signed by at least 1/4th of the total number of voters in that constituency. It also proposes some conditions as to when this petition can be filed. Once the speaker is satisfied with the genuineness of the petition, he transfers it to the ECI to validate the signatures of the voters. Once the ECI carries out the due diligence process, it then proceeds to conduct the recall process. The recall petition is deemed to be successful if the recall petition receives at least 3/4th the number of votes received by that person in his election.
Population Controll Bill – Prahlad Patel
BJP MP Prahlad Patel introduced the ‘Population Control Bill, 2016’ that seeks to control population by way of limiting the number of children a family can have. The bill proposes a cap of two living children per person/family. If any person intends to procreate more than two living children for any medical reason, he has to apply to a board at the disrict level headed by the collector. If the District Board is satisfied that exceptional medical circumstances exist which require the applicant to opt for third child, then it shall grant necessary permission. Else it can reject the application after hearing the applicant.
Property of the guilty to be given to the Rape Victim – Parvesh Sahib
BJP MP Parvesh Sahib introduced a bill to amend the Indian Penal Code, 1860 that seeks to insert a new section 376F in the Indian Penal Code. The new section seeks to confiscate the movable and immovable property of the person who is convicted of rape and the same be given to the rape victim. The bill also mentions that if the rape convict is married and has children, then his property shall be distributed equally between the victim of rape and the wife and children of the convicted.
Public Urination, Defacation etc to be penalised – Maheish Girri
BJP MP Maheish Girri introduced the Maintenance of Cleanliness Bill, 2016 that seeks to prohibit littering, spitting and urinating in public places so as to ensure maintenance of clean, hygienic and healthy atmosphere in and around public places. The bill proposes that spitting, littering, urinating, defecating, defiling or defacement in any public place is to be prohibited. Anybody who violates the prohibition shall be punished with a fine of not less than one thousand rupees.  The bill puts the responsibility of implementation on the local authorities. It has to be noted that such legislations prohibiting defacement of public places already exist in some states.
Bhagavad Gita should be compulsorily taught in Educational Institutions as a moral education textbook – Ramesh Bidhuri
BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri introduced the Compulsory Teaching of Bhagavad Gita as a Moral Education Text Book in Educational Institutions Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to mandate every educational institution to compulsorily teach Bhagavad Gita as a moral education text book. It also puts the responsibility on the appropriate government to appoint teachers with necessary qualifications to teach Bhagavad Gita. The bill also provides for de-recognition of a school in case of violation.
Protecting the Whistle Blowers – Baijayant Panda
BJD MP Baijayant Panda introduced the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that seeks to amend the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011. This bill provides for specific provisions to protect whistle-blowers & witnesses against physical attacks and any other reprisals.The bill seeks to expand the scope of ‘injury’ to a whistle blower by including disadvantages like dismissal of an employee, alteration of an employee’s position to his detriment or discrimination with an employee. It also defines a witness as any person, who possesses information or document about any crime with respect to this principal act. The bill also seeks to categorize witnesses into three groups based on threat perception and extend adequate protection to them.