Monsoon Session 2020 of Parliament Concluded:
Monsson Session 2020 of Parliament commenced on 14th September 2020. The session was scheduled to culminate on 1 October 2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic risks, the session was adjourned sine-die on 23 September 2020. During the Session, 22 Bills (6 in Rajya Sabha and 16 in Lok Sabha, were introduced. The Lower House and the Upper House individually passed 25 Bills each. 27 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament.
Some of the important Bills are listed below:
Covid-19 related Legislations:
Salary, Allowance and Pensions of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020
Agriculture Bills:
Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020
Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Education Bills:
National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020
Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, 2020
Health Sector:
National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2020
National Commission for Homeopathy Bill, 2020
Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020
Labour Bills:
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill, 2020
Code on Social Security Bill, 2020
Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020
Economic Sector Bills:
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Bilateral Netting of Qualified Financial Contracts Bill, 2020
Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020
Parliament passed three Labour Codes to pave way for enactment of Labour Laws:
Rajya Sabha passed three labour codes namely,
(i) Industrial Relations Code, 2020
(ii) Code on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020
(iii) Social Security Code, 2020.
Highlights:
♦ These Labour Codes seeks to enhance the welfare of the workers in the country.
♦ The Social Security Code provides a framework to include organized and unorganized sector workers under the ambit of comprehensive social security.
♦ It contains provisions relating to Employees` Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Employees` State Insurance (ESIC), building construction workers, maternity benefits, gratuity and social security fund for unorganized sector workers.
♦ These codes are in line with Centre`s Universal Social Security.
♦ Labour Codes will harmonize the needs of workers and industry and will prove an important milestone for the welfare of the workers
♦ The Labour Codes is expected to give a big boost to Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas with Sabka Vishwas
♦ New Labour Codes will cover over 50 crore workers from organized, unorganized and self-employed for minimum wages, social security
♦ It will enhance the setting up of “Social Security Fund” for 40 crore unorganized workers along with GIG and platform workers.
♦ The Codes will help in widening Universal Social Security coverage.
♦ It will Pay parity to women workers as compared to their male counterparts
♦ Under the Laws, Working journalists definition will include Digital and Electronic Media.
♦ Helpline to redress grievances of Migrant Workers will be established
♦ These Labour Codes will establish answerable, transparent, and simple mechanism reducing to one registration, one license and one return for all codes.
Lok Sabha passed two Farm reform Bills:
Lok Sabha passed the Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The Bills were aimed to transform agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income. The Bills were introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar on 14th September 2020. The Bills will replace ordinances promulgated on 5th June 2020.
Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020:
♦ The Bill seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders can sell and purchase of farmers` produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels.
♦ The Bill will promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers` produce outside physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislations.
♦ The Bill also provides a facilitative framework for electronic trading and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
♦ The Bill open more opportunities for the farmer, reduce marketing costs for the farmers and help them in getting better prices.
♦ The Bill will help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions with shortages, lower prices.
♦ It also proposed an electronic trading in transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically.
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020
♦ The Bill aims to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services.
♦ The Bill will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor. This will enable the farmers to access modern technology and better inputs.
♦ It seeks to reduce the cost of marketing and improve income of farmers.
###Centre launched National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino:
Environment Ministry launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino. It was launched by the Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. The conservation initiatives for rhino has also enriched the grassland management as it helps in reducing the negative impacts of climate change.
National Rhino Conservation Strategy:
♦ The Strategy was launched to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
♦ It aims to work for the conservation of the rhino species under five objectives namely strengthening protection, expanding the distribution range, research, monitoring, and adequate and sustained funding.
Background:
India is home to a huge number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world. The population of the Rhinos are high in number in Assam, West Bengal and UP. In the beginning of the 20th Century, One-horned rhino was close to extinction with a population of less than 200. Rhino is the only large mammal species in Asia to be down-listed from endangered to vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2008.
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