Delhi services bill among 7 news laws cleared by President

Seven recently passed laws, including one concerning administrative control in Delhi, were put into effect on Saturday following the approval of President Droupadi Murmu. An official notification was released by the government confirming this.

The laws that have now become operative include the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023; The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Act, 2023; The National Dental Commission Act, 2023; and The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023.

The Delhi services bill gained parliamentary approval on Monday after the Rajya Sabha endorsed it. This law empowers the Centre with control over bureaucracy in the national capital. The BJP-led NDA successfully countered opposition resistance. This new legislation replaced a prior ordinance from May 19, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023. The ordinance aimed to establish an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

The Digital Personal Data Protection bill, approved by Parliament this week, has also obtained the assent of President Droupadi Murmu. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed this. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) law focuses on safeguarding Indian citizens’ privacy and proposes fines of up to Rs 250 crore for entities that misuse or fail to protect individuals’ digital data. Companies handling user data will be required to secure individuals’ information, and any incidents of personal data breaches must be reported to the Data Protection Board (DPB) and the affected users.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, passed in both parliamentary houses during the Monsoon session, has also received the President’s approval. This law permits the use of a birth certificate as a singular document for various purposes such as admission to educational institutions, obtaining a driving license, compiling a voter list, registering for Aadhaar, getting married, or securing a government job. The law aims to establish national and state-level databases for registered births and deaths, ultimately improving the efficient and transparent delivery of public services, social benefits, and digital registration.

In the preceding week, seven other laws also came into effect after receiving the President’s assent upon passage through Parliament.

These include the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Multi State Cooperative Societies Amendment Act 2023; and The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023.