Rajya Sabha passes three Bills amid opposition protests

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): As many as three Bills were passed in the Parliament amid protests by the opposition, which included the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill 2023 and Mediation Bill, 2021.

Meanwhile, two Bills have been introduced in Rajya Sabha; the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023.
All the Bills were passed through voice vote and the Upper House was then adjourned for the day till August 2.

The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill 2023 whoich was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha, has been passed in Rajya Sabha today.

The amendment empowers the Central Government to frame rules for conservation, systematic development, and environmental protection related to offshore mining.

The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill 2023, which was passed in Lok Sabha,  was moved in the Rajya Sabha for its consideration and passage to amend the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.

The Bill will improve governance, reform the electoral process, strengthen the monitoring mechanism, improve the Board’s composition, and enhance transparency and accountability in Multi-State Cooperative Societies.

The Bill allows state co-operative societies to merge into an existing multi-state co-operative society.

The Bill establishes the Co-operative Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development Fund for the revival of sick multi-state co-operative societies. As per the Bill, the central government will appoint one or more Co-operative Ombudsman with territorial jurisdiction.

The Union Cabinet in October 2022 approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to improve the ease of doing business, increase financial discipline and enable raising funds in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies.

The move was taken in order to make the governance of multi-State Cooperative societies more democratic, transparent and accountable.

The Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, of 2002 was enacted with a view to facilitating the democratic functioning and autonomous working of multi-State co-operative societies in line with the established co-operative principles. There is a felt need to amend the Act to bring it in line with the 97th Constitutional Amendment and strengthen the cooperative movement in the multi-State Cooperative societies sector.

Moreover, the Mediation Bill, 2021 was passed in Rajya Sabha in order to promote and facilitate mediation, especially institutional mediation, for the resolution of disputes, (commercial or otherwise), enforce mediated settlement agreements, provide for a body for the registration of mediators, to encourage community mediation and to make online mediation as an acceptable and cost-effective process.

Notably, Opposition leaders have been continuously cornering the Central government over the issue of Manipur in the Parliament since the first day of the monsoon session. The Opposition MPs are also demanding a statement from PM Modi inside the Parliament on Manipur.