Bills for Political & Tech Reforms in India: Private Members' Initiatives

Published Date: 22/07/2024

Private Members' Bills listed in Rajya Sabha for the upcoming Monsoon Session include one that seeks prohibition on holders of constitutional posts, like judges, joining a political party post retirement, a few bills on artificial intelligence and deepfake, as well as one on amending the citizenship law.

In the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Rajya Sabha, 23 Private Members' Bills have been listed for introduction, covering a range of topics from politics to technology. One of the notable bills seeks to prohibit holders of constitutional posts, such as judges, from joining political parties post-retirement. This comes after recent controversies involving judges joining political parties shortly after retirement.

Another bill listed by Rashtriya Janata Dal MP AD Singh seeks to amend the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to include marital rape as a crime. Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP V. Sivadasan has listed two bills, one seeking universal basic income and another enactment of Right to Old Age Care.

Trinamool Congress MP Mausam Noor has also listed two bills, one on protecting rights of employees from Artificial Intelligence, and another seeking criminalization of 'deepfake'. Deepfake, a term used to describe manipulated media, involves morphing someone's face or other features of their body digitally to make it appear like someone else, typically for malicious purposes.

During the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, concerns were expressed over the use of deepfake videos to spread misinformation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was one of its victims. P. Sandosh Kumar of Communist Party of India has listed a bill to create an Artificial Intelligence Technology Regulatory Authority.

Kumar has also listed The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to amend the law to provide citizenship to “persecuted minorities” from neighboring countries, and not to provide citizenship on the basis of religion, as prescribed in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. The law, which led to protests in several parts of the country, including Delhi, provides for accelerated eligibility for Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Private members' bills are an important aspect of the legislative process, enabling legislators to draw attention to issues that might not be represented in Government Bills or to highlight the issues and gaps in the existing legal framework requiring legislative intervention. Although only 14 private members' bills have been passed by both Houses since 1952, they play a crucial role in shaping the country's laws and policies.

Rashtriya Janata Dal is a regional political party in India, founded in 1997. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is a communist party in India, founded in 1964. The Trinamool Congress is a regional political party in India, founded in 1998. The Communist Party of India is a communist party in India, founded in 1925.

The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is the upper house of the Parliament of India. It has 245 members, with 233 members elected by the elected members of the state and union territorial assemblies using the single transferable vote system, and 12 members nominated by the President of India.

FAQS:

Q: What is a private member's bill?

A: A private member's bill is a bill introduced by a legislator who is not a part of the government.

Q: How many private members' bills have been passed by both Houses since 1952?

A: Only 14 private members' bills have been passed by both Houses since 1952.

Q: What is deepfake?

A: Deepfake is a term used to describe manipulated media, involving morphing someone's face or other features of their body digitally to make it appear like someone else, typically for malicious purposes.

Q: What is the purpose of private members' bills?

A: Private members' bills enable legislators to draw attention to issues that might not be represented in Government Bills or to highlight the issues and gaps in the existing legal framework requiring legislative intervention.

Q: How many private members' bills have been listed for introduction in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Rajya Sabha?

A: 23 private members' bills have been listed for introduction in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Rajya Sabha.

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