Important bills passed in winter session

The important bills passed in parliament's winter session, which ended Tuesday, are as following:

Bills Passed by Parliament

** The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - The bill makes various changes to the act regulating the training of apprentices in the country.

** The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by certain Establishments) Amendment Bill, 2011 - Amends two labour laws to change the definition of small establishments, among other things.

** The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Makes two amendments - the first permits for the leader of the single largest party in Lok Sabha, in the absence of a leader of opposition, to be in the selection committee for the appointment of the Central Bureau of Investigation's director. The second amendment states that the appointment of the CBI director cannot be invalidated on the ground of absence or vacancy of any member of the selection committee.

** The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2014 - Declares the four Indian Institutes of Information Technology as Institutes of National Importance.

** The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - To set up another central university in Bihar, in addition to an existing one.

** The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Adds communities in the list of scheduled castes in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tripura. It also removes the Majhi community from the list in Sikkim.

** The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014 - Seeks to amend the Sick Textile Undertaking (Nationalisation) Act, 1974 and the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Act, 1995, which provide for nationalisation of certain textile undertakings, and for their management by the NTC - a central public sector enterprise under the the textiles ministry.

** The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013 - Seeks to add new provisions to the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 to comply with the International Convention for the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, 2001.

** The Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013 - Proposes to amend the existing act to bring it in conformity with the International Labour Organisation's Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, which lays down the standards for the living and working conditions of seafarers, including their food, accommodation, medical care, social security, and recruitment.

** The School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014 - Grants deemed university status to these schools in Bhopal, Vijayawada and Delhi - benefitting the students of the first two who are still awaiting their degrees.

** The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014 - Seeks to maintain the status quo with respect to encroachment or unauthorized development or construction from various dates. Protection has also been provided against punitive action by any local authority.

Bills passed by Lok Sabha but not passed by Rajya Sabha

** The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 - The bill aims to remove 90 redundant amendment acts from the statute book. It was sent to a select committee by Rajya Sabha.

** The Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Amends the existing act which regulates and supervises payment systems in India and designates the Reserve Bank of India as the authority for the purpose. The bill was sent to a select committee by Rajya Sabha.

** The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 - Replaces an ordinance which outlines the procedure for auction of coal blocks that were cancelled by the Supreme Court in September.

** The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014 - Amends the existing act which provides for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from public premises, including those of government companies and corporations.

** The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Aims to legalize e-rickshaws by bringing them under the circle of the Motor Vehicles Act.

** The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Makes amendments to the Companies Act, 2013, with an aim of improving "ease of doing business" in India.

** The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014 - Seeks to raise the authorised capital of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to Rs 2,000 crore and enable them to mop up funds from the capital market.

(Data based on information provided by parliamentary affairs ministry and PRS Legislative Research)