Bills Of Lading 2025: Rajya Sabha Passes Landmark 'Bills of Lading, 2025'; Set for Presidential AssentETInfra
Minister's remarks in Parliament
Key provisions of the bill
By ,
ETInfra
Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox.
Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more.
On the first day of the Monsoon Session, the Rajya Sabha passed the 'Bills of Lading, 2025' bill, clearing the way for it to become law pending Presidential assent . The legislation, already cleared by the Lok Sabha, was tabled in the Upper House by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal The bill seeks to repeal and replace the Indian Bills of Lading Act , 1856, introducing a revised legal framework for shipping documentation . According to the government, the legislation updates legal definitions and provisions to bring India in line with current international standards.Tabling the bill, Sarbananda Sonowal said, 'This vision is not merely aspirational; it is a call to action, urging us to align our efforts and aspirations with the promise of a new and prosperous Bharat. In the words of the Hon'ble Prime Minister, 'India must act with speed and scale to reform its systems and transform its future'.'Sonowal further said, 'Today, as we reflect on the 76th year since the adoption of the Indian Constitution , it is the perfect moment to cast aside the remnants of colonial and pre-constitutional legacies that hinder our progress. 'Swarnim Bharat' needs a statute that is contemporary, crafted by our own people, and capable of addressing the challenges of the modern era.'The new law updates the terminology and framework used in shipping documentation in India. It outlines the rights and obligations of carriers, shippers, and lawful holders.The legislation also includes a clause allowing the central government to issue directions for implementation, and a standard repeal and saving clause to ensure the continuity of past actions under the previous Act.Sonowal, calling for support in the House, said, ''The Bills of Lading, 2025' bill reflects our constitutional values and marks a vital step in replacing outdated colonial laws with a modern, accessible framework. As our maritime sector expands rapidly, this reform will boost ease of doing business , reduce disputes, and strengthen India's global trade standing. As the saying goes — 'Whoever rules the waves, rules the world' — it's time India leads from the front.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: PM Modi to address NDA parliamentary party meeting; state mourning in Jharkhand after Shibu Soren's death
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a meeting of the BJP-led NDA's parliamentary party meeting. The NDA meeting comes just days before the filing of nominations for the Vice-President's election on August 7. After the Monsoon Session ends on August 21, the election will be held on September 9. The meeting comes in the middle of a session that has been all but a washout so far, except for a two-day discussion on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, due to a united Opposition's ceaseless protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar by the Election Commission. Modi is expected to speak on a host of current issues as the Opposition has been raising the heat over the poll body's alleged partisan conduct favouring the government, and the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The meeting also comes amid rumours that the Centre may reinstate Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. Tuesday will mark six years since the abrogation of Article 370 with the J&K Congress observing it as a 'black day' and sitting on a dharna to press for the restoration of statehood. Meanwhile, the government is expected to push through some legislative business on Tuesday, amid the Opposition's continuing protests, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. In the Lok Sabha, at least four Bills will be considered for passage – The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024; The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024; The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025; and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025. In the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to move a resolution for the continuation of President's Rule in Manipur for another six months with effect on August 13. The Lok Sabha has already passed this resolution. The Upper House will also consider for passage The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025. The mortal remains of veteran tribal leader and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) patriarch Shibu Soren reached state capital Ranchi on Monday evening, with thousands of people waiting outside the airport and lining the streets to pay their final respects to the former CM, affectionately known as Dishom Guru. Soren, 81, who was undergoing treatment at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi for over a month for kidney-related problems, passed away on Monday morning. On Tuesday, his body will be taken to his native village Nemra in Ramgarh district, where his last rites will be performed there, JMM sources said. Among those expected to attend the funeral is Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, whose Congress party is a state- and national-level ally of the JMM. Recommended reading | Pivotal figure in Jharkhand movement, Shibu Soren had a storied career with fleeting stints in power To coincide with the Karnataka Congress's protest over alleged vote theft, the state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra had announced their own protest against the Congress's 'anti-constitutional attitude'. While the Congress's protest, which was set to be led by Rahul Gandhi, has been postponed to August 8 on account of Shibu Soren's death, the BJP is now set to continue its protest in Bengaluru. Vijayendra alleged that the Congress was unable to 'digest Narendra Modi's leadership' at the Centre and that Gandhi was misguiding the people of Karnataka and India with his repeated allegations against the Election Commission. The Telangana Congress, meanwhile, is going ahead with its protest Presidential assent for the Backward Classes reservation bills passed by the state legislature. Party workers led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy are expected to participate in a three-day protest beginning on Tuesday. On Tuesday, party MPs will move an adjournment motion in Parliament to demand a debate on the BC quota Bills. On Wednesday, the CM, along with his Cabinet colleagues and other Congress leaders, will stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar. On Thursday, Reddy and other senior leaders will seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu to submit a memorandum regarding the pending Bills. – With PTI inputs
Hans India
3 minutes ago
- Hans India
Tribal icon Shibu Soren dies at 81
New Delhi: Shibu Soren, Rajya Sabha MP, former Union Minister, Jharkhand Chief Minister and one of the founders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, died on Monday. He was 81. Soren is survived by wife Roopi Soren, sons Hemant and Basant and daughter Anjali. Another son Durga Soren died in 2009. While Hemant is the Jharkhand Chief Minister and recently took charge as the JMM president, Basant is an MLA. Soren had been under treatment at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for over a month and his condition was critical for the past few days. Soren's son and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren shared the news of his father's death on X. "Beloved Dishom Guruji has left us. I lost everything today," he said. The hospital said in a statement that Soren was admitted on June 19 and was under the care of Dr A K Bhalla, senior consultant, Nephrology. "Despite the best efforts of our multidisciplinary medical team, Shibu Soren passed away peacefully on Monday with his family at the bedside. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, his loved ones and the people of Jharkhand in this moment of grief and loss of a very popular mass leader," the statement said. Over a four-decade career in politics, Soren was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and served as a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms, the second ongoing. Belonging to the Santhal community, Shibu Soren was born in the Ramgarh district, which was then part of Bihar. He tied up with Leftist trade union leader AK Roy and Kurmi Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato to form the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972. Over the years, Soren emerged as a key face of the statehood movement, which led to the formation of Jharkhand in 2000. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from Dumka, which later turned into a stronghold of the JMM. The veteran leader suffered defeat at his bastion in 2019, when the BJP's Nalin Soren won by a margin of over 45,000 votes. Soren served as a Union Minister and a three-time Chief Minister but could not complete any of the terms. He became Jharkhand Chief Minister for the first time in 2005 but had to resign just nine days later after he failed to clear the floor test in the Assembly. Two more terms in the top post followed, but both lasted merely a few months, thanks to the twists and turns of coalition politics. The same could be said of his journey in the Union Cabinet. Soren joined the Manmohan Singh government in 2004, but he was asked to resign after an arrest warrant was issued in the 1974 Chirudih case linked to a clash between tribals and Muslims. After he was released on bail, he was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet but resigned to take over as Jharkhand Chief Minister. After his 10-day term, he returned as Union Coal Minister in 2006. Less than a year later, he was convicted in the murder case of his former secretary, Shashinath Jha, and had to resign again. This is the first instance of a Union Minister found guilty of involvement in a murder. The Delhi High Court later acquitted him in the case. His last term as Chief Minister ended after his party backed a motion brought by the UPA government in Parliament, despite being the BJP's ally in Jharkhand. Furious over the move, the BJP withdrew support and Soren's government collapsed. President Droupadi Murmu said Soren's death is a big loss "in the space of social justice". "He championed the cause of tribal identity and formation of the state of Jharkhand.
Mint
3 minutes ago
- Mint
₹10 lakh fine, derecognition: Delhi Govt's bill proposes ‘permanent solution' for ‘arbitrary' school fee hikes
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday tabled the "Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees), Bill, 2025" in the Delhi Assembly. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government has said the proposed law would regulate the arbitrary fee hikes by private schools in the national capital, providing relief to lakhs of students and their families. Sood said that the proposed legislation seeks to end the commercialisation of education and take action against those exploiting it for profit. "Education is not a thing to be sold. This bill aims to halt the commercialisation of education. We are bringing the bill to take action against those mafias who are selling education..." Sood said while tabling the bill on the first day of the Monsoon session of the Eighth Legislative Assembly of Delhi, on Monday. A discussion on the bill is scheduled in the House today. Sood said the proposed legislation would provide a 'permanent solution to a long-ignored issue that affects millions of parents and children in Delhi.' The draft bill, which was approved by Rekha Gupta-led Delhi Cabinet in April, covers all 1,677 private unaided schools in the Capital. It proposes sweeping reforms to the fee regulation system, including a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, penalties of up to ₹ 10 lakh for violations, and a mandatory role for parents in deciding fee structures. 'This bill is a small effort on our part to honour Dr. Mukherjee's vision and to ensure that education does not become a burden on the people of India, but instead becomes a path leading them to a better future,' Sood said later. The bill proposes the formation of three key committees: the School Level Fee Regulation Committee, the District Fee Appellate Committee, and the Revision Committee. It bars any school from collecting fees in excess of what has been approved under it. Each private school has to constitute a School-Level Fee Regulation Committee annually on 15 July. The committee will include five parents from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), selected by a draw of lots. It will also include at least two women and at least one other member from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, or socially and educationally backwards classes. A representative from the Directorate of Education (DoE) will also be part of the committee. The chairperson will be a representative of the school management, the draft law says. The school management must submit fee proposals to this panel by July 31 and have them approved by September 15. Once finalised, the fee structure will stay fixed for the next three academic years. The decision of the School-Level Fee Regulation Committee must come from an 'Aggrieved Parents Group' comprising at least 15 per cent of the particular school's parents. The school can then escalate the matter to the District Appellate Committee by September 30. Disputes must be resolved within 45 days at each appellate level. The Revision Committee has the final authority, and its rulings will be binding for three years. Section 8 of the draft bill lists the criteria for determining fees – school location, infrastructure, teacher salaries, and revenue surplus. Section 12 details penalties. Unauthorised fee hikes can invite fines between ₹ 1– ₹ 10 lakh, doubling every 20 days until compliance. Repeat offenders will be required to refund excess fees and may lose recognition if violations continue. Sood told reporters that for ten years, the Aam Aadmi Party was sitting in its air-conditioned rooms, and parents were going to court with their children for fees. The opposition AAP, however, slammed the legislation, calling it a 'sham bill' that legalises profiteering and sidelines parent voices. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly and former CM Atishi demanded that it be sent to a select committee. This bill is a small effort on our part to honour Dr. Mukherjee's vision and to ensure that education does not become a burden. 'After letting private schools hike fees unchecked for four months, the BJP now brings a sham bill that hands control to school owners, blocks parent voices, and protects profiteers. The AAP will fight it in the Assembly, on the streets, and in court. We have demanded that the bill be sent to a Select Committee and all fee hikes frozen at 2024–25 levels,' Atishi said. Some parents have raised issues with the proposed law, particularly with the definition of 'aggrieved parents.' Others have issues with the selection process for parent representatives in the school-level committee. 'Requiring a minimum of 15 percent of a school's parents to challenge the school-level Fee Regulatory Committee's decision before the district committee is nearly impossible. It effectively denies parents the right to contest arbitrary fee hikes,' Ashok Agarwal, chairperson of All India Parents Association, told news website The Print.
