Parliament Watch: Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage, Social Security Code, CSR Rules and more [Day 16 round up]

The sixteenth day of the ongoing 2021 winter session of the parliament saw the passing of the Electoral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which mandates the linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs of citizens.

. Here is a roundup of some other questions discussed in the Parliament today.

. A question was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP ET Mohammed Basheer on the amendment made to the guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjeet Singh mentioned in his response that Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 was amended so as to make the non-compliance with CSR provisions a civil wrong with effect from January 22, 2021.

. To a question tabled before the Lok Sabha by three members on the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) COVID-19 Relief Scheme, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli stated that the scheme was launched on June 3, 2021 and is effective for 2 years from March 24, 2020 to help families of insured persons (IPs) who died due to COVID-19.

The response also stated,

"All the provisions of the Code on Social Security, 2020 have not come into force and the ESI Act, 1948 is not implemented in Dahod district of Gujarat."

. The Lok Sabha witnessed the passing of the highly contentious Electoral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which effectuates linking of Aadhaar to voter ID card of citizens. Chaotic protests took place in the Lower House today, with several MPs opposing the introduction and passing of the Bill on the ground that it violates the Supreme Court's Puttaswamy judgment on the right to privacy.

It was highlighted by several members that the passing of the Bill would violate the legal right of citizens to vote and would run contrary to the Basic Structure doctrine as envisaged in the Kesavananda Bharati case.

However, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the Bill saying that it bridges the gaps and shortcomings of the present electoral laws, and quoted the Standing Committee recommendations which rendered the linkage to "purify electoral rolls and consequently reduce electoral malpractices."

.Lok Sabha passes Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 to link Voter ID with Aadhaar. The Appropriation Bill, 2021 to authorise payment and appropriation of sums from the Consolidated Fund of India for the FY 2020-21 was also passed after a voice vote in favour of the same in the lower house. The Union Finance Minister defended the questions raised last week by the members of opposition parties on the proposed expenses.

. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Rajya Sabha today after elaborate discussions that took place last week. The Bill seeks to rectify an error in the Act and was introduced by way of an ordinance. Questions were raised on why the Bill took so long to be introduced for mere rectification of an error. The Union Finance Minister mentioned that the error was inherited by the present government from the UPA government.

Parliament Watch: Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage, Social Security Code, CSR Rules and more [Day 16 round up]

Jelsyna Chacko

Related Stories