Parliament Watch: Extension of ED Director tenure, e-voting, ODR and more [Day 5 roundup]

The fifth day of the 2021 Winter Session of Parliament saw responses on issues ranging from oxygen-shortage deaths during the second wave of COVID-19, proposals for e-voting and online dispute resolution, and more. .The proceedings in the Lok Sabha saw the passing of the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 despite objections raised by members in the House. Strong objections were raised on the extension of tenure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director to 5 years from the previous 2 years. Minister of State Dr Jitender Singh defended the Bill saying, "It looks like conclusions on the Bill have been drawn without reading the Bill. The Act says the ED can hold office for 'not less than 2 years'. It is not a limit. Now, we are streamlining it to 5 years. The Bill was passed after a voice vote..To a starred question on online dispute resolution (ODR) by BJP MP from Odisha Aparajita Sarangi, Union Minister of Law & Justice Kiren Rijiju in his reply said that ODR is at a nascent stage and Niti Aayog has constituted a High Level Committee in this regard."...the report of the committee titled “Designing the future of dispute Resolution: the ODR Policy Plan for India” was released on 29.11.2021 It recommends for mainstreaming of ODR in India, as a cost effective, convenient, efficient process which can be customised to the specific needs of the parties, considering the nature of the dispute."On introducing ODR for public utility services, the response stated since ODR is yet to take off formally and public utility services are provided by States, there is no such proposal so far. "... The ODR policy plan for India released by NITI Aayog on November 29, 2021 recommends various steps to spread awareness for ODR. However, since no legal framework has so far been brought out, measures to increase awareness regarding ODR do not arise at the level of govt., for the present," the response stated..In another question on the features of the Tele-Law mobile app and platform, Rijiju in his response said that it is a unique e-interface platform which provides pre-litigation legal advice and legal consultation to people, especially to the needy and disadvantaged. This is done through panel lawyers via video conferencing and telephone facilities at Common Service Centres (CSCs), and is available in 6 languages."Tele-Law is currently operational in 51,434 Common Service Centers across covering 633 districts in the country, including 115 Aspirational Districts. 12,46,922 beneficiaries have registered, which includes 3,81,791 women, 3,74,294 OBCs, 3,25,413 Scheduled Castes and 2,45,349 Scheduled Tribes. During Covid times, Tele-Law helped common citizens to claim their rights and entitlement under various Government welfare schemes," the answer stated. .To a question by Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore on the protests at the Madras High Court after the transfer of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee to the Meghalaya High Court, Rijiju acknowledged the same in his written reply. He added that such transfers are the domain of the Supreme Court Collegium where the role of the Chief Justice of India is determinative. The answer stated that "all such transfers are in the public interest of promoting the administration of justice, and notified after the President's approval." .[BREAKING] Centre notifies transfer of Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee to Meghalaya High Court.BJP MP from Rajasthan Dushyant Singh asked if the Central government has any proposal to introduce e-voting (online voting) in the upcoming general elections, and if it has taken note of the use of blockchain technology for conducting elections abroad. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju replied that "no such proposal to introduce online voting in general elections has been received from the Election Commission of India (ECI), and that the ECI has no details about the use of blockchain in foreign elections." .[Parliament Winter Session] No proposal for e-voting in general elections: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.In a question tabled by BJP MP Manoj Kotak on whether the government has any plan to provide health IDs to every citizen, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that the government has made provision for every citizen to create their health ID. "...Till November 30, 2021, a total of 14,07,06,627 Health IDs have been created. Creation of Health ID is voluntary. However, NHA is creating awareness among the citizens about the usages and advantages of Health ID so that maximum participation can be ensured," the response stated..In a question tabled by five MPs on whether the apex court has directed the government to pay compensation to families of deceased COVID-19 victims and what steps have been taken to disburse payments, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar responded saying:"In pursuance of the Hon'ble Supreme Court Judgement dated 30th June 2021.... Government of India through National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued ‘Guidelines to provide for ex-gratia assistance to kin of the deceased by COVID-19’. NDMA has recommended an amount of Rs. 50,000/- per deceased person including those involved in relief operations or associated in preparedness activities, subject to cause of death certified as COVID-19."The response further mentioned that all the States have been advised to constitute grievance redressal bodies for redressal of issues related to payment of ex-gratia compensation in case of any dispute.