Five Bills Passed in 2019 that you might’ve missed!
1. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Merger
While everyone remembers what followed after the abrogation of article 370 in Kashmir was the creation of two union territories out of one state. i.e. Jammu and Kashmir as one and Ladakh as another; a lot of people do not know about the fact that former union territories Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged to form one UT in order to reduce the cost of administration and enhance development in 2019. The legislation came into effect from 26 January, 2020.
2. The RTI Amendment Bill
There have been several instances when centralisation in India has been criticised, because it takes away autonomy of institutions and gives a lot of power to the central government. The Right to Information amendment was criticised for the same, as it gave all the regulatory powers to the centre government, making one question the neutrality and loyalty of the information officers. The amendment replaces the standardised term and salary norms for the information officers and empowers the government instead of the citizens by letting government decide on the salary and work term of the RTI officers,
3. The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act
This law replaced the consumer protection law of 1989, finally making stricter laws for e-commerce. It seeks to establish a Central Consumer Protection Authority and lays down rules for the prevention of unfair trade practice by any e-commerce platform. It also aims to provide easy, quick and efficient methods to resolve consumer disputes in the country thus empowering the buyer.
4. The controversial NIA amendment
The National Investigation Agency which came into force after the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks to investigate into special matters like human trafficking; circulation of fake currency; manufacture and sale of prohibited arms; and cyber-terrorism was amended in 2019, extending its power not just in India but also in foreign affairs. The opposition highly criticised the bill for the immense powers it provides to the body, calling it an attempt to make India a ‘Police State’ or “for misuse by the centre for political vendetta”.
5. Human Rights (Amendments)!
Passed in both the houses, the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for a reduction in tenure of chairpersons of national and state human rights bodies to three years from the current five years. It also allows for former Supreme Court and High Court judges to chair the national and state human rights commission respectively, a position which was only reserved for chief justices by then. The bill was criticised because it gave the power to the Centre to handpick the heads of the Human Right Commissions.
