The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill and the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill. The four Bills were discussed and passed after the Opposition walked out demanding a discussion on Manipur violence. The House was disrupted briefly on the issue before the Opposition’s decision to walk out.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, which was first taken up, was to add two synonyms for the Mahar community in Chhattisgarh to the State’s list of Scheduled Castes. The Bill adds “Mahara” and “Mahra” as synonyms of the Mahar community. “The proposed legislation will help expand the benefits of government schemes and benefits meant for Scheduled Castes in the State to around two lakh more people,” Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar said.
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday, was passed in 40 minutes. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said the Bill was historic and said the Centre was ready for constructive inputs from the Opposition too on the Bill.
