Parliament on Monday passed a Bill to rectify errors that had crept into the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), with Rajya Sabha giving its nod to it on Monday. The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill-2021 was passed by Lok Sabha on December 13. The Government also referred two Bills - Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill and the Mediation Bill -for scrutiny by parliamentary panels amid the Opposition’s allegations of inadequate consultations in the law-making process.
Moving the NDPS Bill in the Upper House for its consideration and passage, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it replaces the ordinance which was promulgated in September this year as Parliament was not in Session then. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill by a voice vote.
The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill and the Mediation Bill were referred to a Joint Committee and the Standing Committee on Law & Justice respectively.
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav moved the motion to refer the Biodiversity Bill to the Joint Committee with 21 members of Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha. Congress Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla protesting the decision to refer the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill to a Joint Committee instead of the Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Enviromnemt, Forests and Climate Change.
“I don’t wish to say more on the motivations of the Government to bypass the Standing Committee and refer the contentious bill to a Select Committee. The motivations are obvious. All I wish to say is that the move is a deliberate insult to the Standing Committee. The fact that I am its Chairman doesn’t matter. What is more important is the dignity of the Standing Committee itself,” Ramesh had said in the letter dated December 17, 2021.
The Joint Committee is expected to submit its report to the House by the last day of the first week of the next session.
The Bill seeks to relax certain rules in the Biodiversity Act 2002 in order to fast track research and patenting as well as empower local communities to be able to utilise resources, particularly of medicinal value, such as seeds.
Minister of State for Law and Justice Satya Pal Singh Baghel introduced The Mediation Bill, 2021. It was referred to the standing committee on law and justice for scrutiny.