Parliament Diary

The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was discussed and passed in Lok Sabha today.  The Bill makes certain changes to the Aadhaar Act, 2016.  Also, it amends the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Three changes made by the Bill include: 

• It permits the use of Aadhaar as one of the permitted identification methods for bank accounts and telephone connections, in addition to passport or any ID that the government may notify.  
• It allows a system of offline identification. i.e. without biometric verification.
• It allows enrolled children to opt out and cancel their Aadhaar when they become adults.   

To understand the Supreme Court judgment on the Aadhaar Act and how this Bill came to be, you can watch a short video explaining the Bill here. 

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha. The Bill amends the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 which set up the Medical Council of India (MCI) which regulates medical education and practice. The 1956 Act provides for supersession of the MCI and its reconstitution within a period of three years from the date of its supersession.  In the interim period, the Act requires the central government to constitute a Board of Governors, to exercise the powers of the MCI.  The Bill amends the Act to reduce the time period for supersession of the MCI from three years to two years.

The Economic Survey 2019 was tabled in Parliament today. 

The Odisha State Budget was presented by Mr. Niranjan Puri, Finance Minister, on June 28, 2019.  You can read the analysis here. 

Some key highlights: 

• The Gross State Domestic Product of Odisha for 2019-20 (at current prices) is estimated to be Rs 5,40,812.  
• Total expenditure for 2019-20 is estimated to be Rs 1,39,000 crore, a 15.7% increase over the revised estimate of 2018-19.  
• Total receipts (excluding borrowings) for 2019-20 are estimated to be Rs 1,15,416 crore.
• Revenue surplus for 2019-20 is targeted at Rs 6,528 crore or 1.2% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Fiscal deficit is targeted at Rs 18,877 crore (3.5% of GSDP).    
• Increased allocation in sectors such as  Agriculture, Social Welfare and Nutrition, and Water Supply, Sanitation, Housing, and Urban Development.