On September 2, the government notified the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, and the Karnataka Appropriation Bill. On September 9, three additional amendment Bills were sent to the president for approval. A file photo of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Karnataka sets record, issues notifications for 15 Bills on a day
The state government passed 39 Bills in all during the monsoon session of the bicameral legislature last month
After passing 39 Bills in the monsoon session of the bicameral state legislature in August, the Congress government of Karnataka last week set a record by issuing notifications and publishing 15 of them in the state gazette on a single day (September 12).
The objective behind such legislative alacrity was to expedite administrative reforms and developmental activities. Of the 39 Bills, two were sent to joint select committees for further review.
Bills related to Kodagu and crowd control
They are the Land Registry Act related to the Kodagu district, and the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Places of Gathering) Bill, which was proposed in the wake of deaths in stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium in June after fans gathered to greet players of Royal Challengers Bengaluru on winning their maiden Indian Premier League title.
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The Bill related to land in Kodagu was tabled in the Assembly last month by the state’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, HK Patil. The legislation sought to amend provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, which allegedly created problems for the residents of Kodagu. The Assembly agreed to set up a select committee to study the bill thoroughly.
Similarly, the Bill to control crowds was introduced to manage people at political rallies and large public events. However, the Speaker of the Assembly decided to refer the draft bill to a House committee for scrutiny after the Opposition cited ambiguities.
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G Parameshwara, the home minister of Karnataka, said religious, family, educational and government events were put outside the Bill’s purview. Political rallies, protests and large gatherings were, however, covered. The bill has outlined strict measures of penalty, including life sentences and monetary fines, if such programmes saw loss of life.
Governor gives assent to 32 bills
Of the remaining 37 Bills, the state’s governor, Thawar Chand Gehlot, gave assent to 32, following which notifications were issued and the Bills got published in the state gazette.
On September 2, the government notified the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, and the Karnataka Appropriation Bill. On September 9, three additional amendment Bills were sent to the president for approval.
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One Bill was still awaiting the governor’s assent, while another was in the final stage of preparation for submission.
Among the Bills already notified were the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance (Amendment) Bill and the Kaginele Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, taking the number of notifications to nine.
On September 10, five more Bills, including the Karnataka Fire Force (Amendment) Bill, were published.
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Record notifications
On September 12, the Karnataka government notified 15 different Bills via the state gazette. Some of them include the Karnataka Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, and Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, among others.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)