Lok Sabha passes 3 bills in 30 min amid Oppn protests
House adjourned till July 31
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi Amid total chaos and bedlam in Lok Sabha on Friday, three bills were passed within minutes, which included the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, which will allow private sector to bid for mining critical minerals like Lithium.
After the passage of the three bills, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day till July 31. The other two bills included the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023.
While the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, was passed after a brief discussion, the other two bills were clubbed together and passed without discussion.
Even as the opposition kept up with their protests while jumping in the well of the House, seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response on Manipur violence and his presence in the House, the government first introduced the IIM (Amendment) Bill and then within half an hour, three bills were passed.
Opposition members indulged in slogan shouting and termed the passing of bills despite the fact that the no-confidence motion has been moved in the House, as “illegal” and “a fraud on the Constitution.”
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was seen gesticulating angrily from his seat, even as Sonia Gandhi watched the chaotic scenes quietly from her seat. Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi while piloting the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, called it as a “game changer.”
Interestingly, as noisy protests by opposition members continued, both Joshi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya went to the back benches, when their respective bills were being passed, to avoid the protesting members. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, will allow private sector to bid for mining critical minerals like Lithium.
Out of the list of critical minerals, a few of them have been brought under the proposed amendment, which will allow their mining by private entities. In addition, the proposed amendments will also allow Central government to auction these minerals while the royalty will go to states.
