Lok Sabha Passes Merchant Shipping Amendment Bill Amid Opposition Uproar
In a stormy session of the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the House passed the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2024, through a voice vote, despite sustained protests and disruptions from Opposition members demanding a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar.
The proceedings, which resumed post-adjournment at 2 p.m. with Sandhya Rai in the chair, quickly descended into chaos as Opposition MPs raised slogans and created a ruckus, stalling normal legislative business.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal formally moved the Bill, which seeks to overhaul the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958 and align India's maritime laws with international conventions such as MARPOL and the Wreck Removal Convention.
The legislation expands the definition of vessels to include mobile offshore drilling units, submersibles, and non-displacement crafts, and introduces provisions for temporary registration of vessels destined for recycling -- aimed at boosting activity at hubs like Alang.
Despite the din, BJP MPs Brajesh Chowta (Dakshina Kannada) and Mukeshkumar Chandrakant Dalal (Surat) spoke in support of the Bill, though their remarks were largely inaudible amid the uproar. The Bill also empowers the Director-General of Marine Administration to regulate maritime education and training, ensuring Indian seafarers meet global standards.
Responding to the Opposition's demand for a debate on the Bihar voter list revision, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju reiterated the government's openness to discussion on any issue, provided it adheres to Constitutional provisions and the rules of Parliamentary business.
He cited Rule 325, which prohibits discussion on matters pending before a court, and reminded the House of a 1988 ruling by then Speaker Balram Jakhar, who had affirmed that the Election Commission's actions cannot be commented upon in Parliament due to its autonomous status.
"The House is not permitted to discuss the conduct of a higher Constitutional authority," Rijiju asserted, urging Opposition members to respect Parliamentary norms and allow the House to function.
"Do you want to break the rules established by this House? Do you want to dismiss the decisions of past Speakers?" he asked pointedly.
Following the passage of the Bill, the chair adjourned the House until Thursday, leaving several other legislative items pending.
The Monsoon Session, which has already witnessed multiple adjournments, continues to be marred by procedural deadlocks and political confrontations.
The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, however, marks a significant step in modernising India's maritime sector, promising enhanced safety, sustainability, and competitiveness in global shipping markets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
As Houses pass Sports Governance Bill, recalling BCCI opposition to RTI
Rajya Sabha cleared the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, on Tuesday, a day after its passage in Lok Sabha. Congress general secretary in charge of communications and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh posted on X that the proposed law would 'result in the extreme centralisation of sports administration', and that 'BCCI will get most favoured treatment, not subject to any laws of the land like the RTI'. Under the provisions of the Bill, only a sports body that receives financial assistance from the state qualifies as a 'public authority' under the Right to Information Act, 2005. This effectively excludes the BCCI because it does not receive any direct financial aid from the government. The world's richest cricket board has over the years resisted being labelled as a public authority, despite recommendations from the Supreme Court, the Law Commission of India, and the Central Information Commission (CIC) to bring it in the ambit of India's transparency law. The proposed law will provide for the recognition of national sports bodies and regulate their functioning, and will align sports governance in India with the Olympic and Paralympic Charters, and with international best practices. The aim is to bring transparency and accountability in national sports federations, and open up hosting, collaboration, and funding opportunities. Since cricket will soon be an Olympic sport, it is necessary for the government to also bring BCCI under the proposed law. Clause 15(2) of the Bill that was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 23 said that a 'recognised sports organisation shall be considered a public authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005 with respect to the exercise of its functions, duties and powers'. This broad definition would include the BCCI — and make its entire functioning, from team selection to awarding contracts, open to public scrutiny. A subsequent amendment to the draft, however, said that a recognised sports organisation 'receiving grants or any other financial assistance' from the government shall be considered a public authority only 'with respect to utilisation of such grants or any other financial assistance'. This change, making government funding the sole criterion for a sports body to be considered a public authority, effectively put the BCCI out of the ambit of the RTI Act. The BCCI has for long argued that it is a private, autonomous body and not a 'public authority'. Indeed, it is not a sports federation under the Union Sports Ministry; legally, it is an autonomous charitable society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. It does not take direct financial aid from the government. However, the BCCI's position that its financial and organisational independence of the state places it outside the government's regulatory framework for public bodies, has been contested by several judicial and quasi-judicial bodies. In its 275th Report (2018) titled 'Legal Framework: BCCI vis-à-vis Right to Information Act, 2005', the Law Commission of India recommended that BCCI should be classified as a public authority, pointing to the significant indirect financial assistance it had received from the government over the years. The Report noted that between 1997 and 2007, the board had received tax exemptions to the tune of more than Rs 2,100 crore due to its legal status as a charitable institution. The foregoing of this revenue amounted to indirect funding for the board, the Commission argued. The report also cited examples of state governments providing land to state cricket associations at highly subsidised rates; for example, in Himachal Pradesh, the land for a stadium was reportedly leased for Re 1 per month. The Supreme Court has noted that the BCCI performs 'public functions' that are akin to those of a state body. In a 2015 judgment, the court noted that it selects the teams that represent India, uses national colours and symbols, and exercises a monopoly over the sport with the 'tacit concurrence' of the government. A committee led by Justice R M Lodha, which was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2015 to recommend reforms in cricket, described the functioning of the BCCI as a 'closed door and back-room affair', and said that the 'legislature must seriously consider bringing BCCI within the purview of the RTI Act'. In 2016, the top court referred the matter to the Law Commission, observing that since the BCCI performs public functions, there is a clear need for transparency. The Law Commission submitted its report in 2018 (mentioned above), and that same year, the Central Information Commission (CIC) passed a landmark order declaring the BCCI as a 'public authority', and directing the board to set up a mechanism to handle queries under the RTI Act. The BCCI challenged the order in the Madras High Court, which stayed its implementation, leaving the matter in legal limbo. Bringing the BCCI under the RTI Act would mean that any citizen of India could seek information covering not just financial matters, but the entire gamut of the board's operations. The public would be able to demand information on the criteria for team selection, details of contracts awarded for broadcasting and infrastructure, the process of appointment of officials and coaches, and the minutes of BCCI meetings. This would force the board to justify its decisions to the public at large, and not just to its constituent members. In its 2015 judgment, the Supreme Court had held that even though the BCCI is not a state institution, it is amenable to writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution because it performs public functions. This means High Courts can intervene in the BCCI's affairs if its actions are found to be arbitrary or against the public interest.
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Minta Devi, 124 not out' – error in Bihar woman's age on voter list gives ammo to Opposition; she says gave correct details
Amid the Opposition's protests in Parliament over alleged anomalies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, the case of Minta Devi, a first-time voter from Siwan district whose age was listed as 124 years in the voters' list, has drawn attention. The district administration claimed the discrepancy was a clerical error during the online application process, but Opposition leaders took it as fresh ammunition to question the SIR process. Minta Devi, a resident of Arjani Pur village under Daraundha Assembly constituency, was recently issued a voter ID card in which her age was given as 124. According to her Aadhaar card, her correct date of birth is July 15, 1990, making her 34 years old. 'I came to know about this only a few days ago,' Minta Devi said. 'I received my voter ID card just one or two months ago. I did not check it carefully then. When the issue gained attention, I looked at my voter card and realised the mistake,' she said. She had applied for the voter ID card online from a cyber café after several failed attempts to register through the local Booth Level Officers (BLOs), she said, adding, 'I gave the correct details based on my Aadhaar card. This error must have happened while typing or later.' Her husband, Dhananjay Kumar Singh, said no official visited their home during the SIR process. 'The BLOs sit at a common place in the village and collect details, so such mistakes are bound to happen,' he claimed. In an official communication dated August 11, addressed to the District Election Officer, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Daraundha Assembly constituency confirmed the error. 'During the verification process, Minta Devi's Aadhaar card was reviewed and her correct date of birth was found to be July 15, 1990,' the letter said. The District Public Relations Office of Siwan on Tuesday said, 'Following the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1, 2025, the BLO identified the error in age and contacted Minta Devi. She has since submitted Form-8 on August 10, 2025, with the reference ID S04109G8C1008251200004, and the correction will be processed as per guidelines.' The Opposition INDIA bloc has seized upon the Minta Devi incident as evidence of alleged irregularities in the process. On Tuesday, INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in the Parliament complex wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan — 'Minta Devi 124 Not Out.' Congress leader Pawan Khera posted on social media, sarcastically nominating Minta Devi for a world record. 'We proudly nominate Minta Devi for the Guinness World Record: THE YOUNGEST LOOKING OLDEST HUMAN in India — courtesy the several miracles of @ECISVEEP. Waah Modiji Waah,' he posted. Congress MP K C Venugopal also took to social media, saying, 'The Election Commission has done a great service to humankind! They discovered the oldest living human, Smt. Minta Devi, whose age is listed as 124 years in the Bihar SIR! The mega voter fraud done by the ECI can never be allowed. INDIA will keep protesting until it is stopped.' 'Verified' over 119-year-olds Meanwhile, two other similar cases involving two entries in the draft roll of the SIR where the voters were shown to be over the age of 119 have been verified as accurate, officials claimed. In Pirpainti Assembly constituency in Bhagalpur district, the local administration said they confirmed one Asha Devi to be 120 years old after cross-checking with her Aadhaar card. According to an official verification report submitted by the BLO concerned, Asha Devi was found to be alive and residing in Srimatpur village. 'Her Aadhaar card states her date of birth as January 1, 1905, making her approximately 120 years old,' the report noted. A similar case was reported from Gopalganj district, where Mantruria Devi, residing in Balha village under Baroli Assembly constituency, has been listed in the voter rolls since 2003. Her age was 97 in the 2003 voters' list, and was 119 in the latest electoral roll published on August 1, the local administration said. A verification report dated August 12, issued by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer-cum-Block Development Officer, Baroli, confirmed her age. 'During physical verification conducted in the presence of the BLO, BLO supervisor, ward members and villagers, it was confirmed that Mantruria Devi is alive. Her Aadhaar card reflects her date of birth as 01.01.1906, matching the age of 119 years stated in the electoral roll,' the report said. Officials also clarified that Mantruria Devi's name was not newly added, but has been part of the electoral roll for decades. 'Media reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate,' the document said.
Hindustan Times
18 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Congress holds internal discussion on VP election
The Congress party held its first internal discussion on the upcoming Vice President election as the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and party's general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal met the party president Mallikarjun Kharge at his house. Congress holds internal discussion on VP election Senior officials said that the INDIA group will wait for the ruling dispensation to announce its candidate first before picking the Opposition's nominee. 'We want to contest the election but we will wait for the government to declare its candidate. So far, the government has not approached us to seek suggestions on the VP election.' The last date of filing nomination for the VP polls is August 21 and the polling will be held on September 9. A second official aware of the details indicated that the Congress brass might meet again on August 15 or 16 to finalize possible nominees and a INDIA group meeting would be held next week to announce the candidate if there is no consensus between the government and the Opposition over the VP candidate. A section of the Congress is of the opinion that the party must push the issue of social justice in this VP poll too, and nominate a candidate who is either a Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or an OBC. Some non-Congress Opposition parties are of the opinion that preferably younger candidates should be fielded to send a better political message. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hinted on Tuesday that the Opposition will participate in the election and field its own candidate. Another senior Congress leader pointed out that in every such election, the Opposition waits to hear the name of the official nominee of the ruling party before taking the final decision.
