Education reforms Bill sent to GoM

While the Home Ministry and the Department of Expenditure had raised concerns earlier,Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday referred the Bills to the GoM,said sources. The Department of Expenditure is learnt to have been in favour of The Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical,Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill,but it argued the Central Administrative Tribunal was well equipped to adjudicate on education related disputes if needed.

The Home Ministry is also learnt to have said there was no need for separate Tribunals. It raised objections to certain provisions in the Bills that left the burden of proof on institutes concerned in some cases.

Cabinet clears new communal violence Bill

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI

THE Union Cabinet is learnt to have cleared the Communal Violence (Prevention,Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill,2009 for introduction in the ongoing session of the Parliament.

The Bill cleared on Thursday is a modified version of the Communal Violence (Prevention,Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill,2005 which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2005.

Top Home Ministry officials said that the 2005 Bill will first be withdrawn from the Rajya Sabha and the new Bill will be introduced in both Houses of Parliament this session. “We hope to introduce the Bill in the current session while the discussion can take place in the next session,” a senior MHA official said.

Sources said some Cabinet Ministers wanted the Bill to be fine-tuned so as to pin-point the Centre’s role. Not wanting any further delay,the Cabinet,however,decided to clear the newly drafted Bill in its existing form.

Some of the modified clauses in the Bill relate to the Centre’s power in taking over a communally disturbed district or area,its powers to send in central forces in such areas and transfer of cases related to communal violence outside the state of occurrence.