Highlights of Major Decisions/Initiatives of MHA

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Parliament in 2019 passed eight important Bills piloted by the Union Home Ministry. The Bills were :

1. Jammu and Kashmir – Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A ; The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019; The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2019
2. National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019
3. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019
4. Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – aims to increase operational efficiency of SPG in ensuring the security of the Prime Minister of India.
5. Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 – focus on granting Indian Citizenship to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities on ground of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Marathon deliberations held by Union Home Minister with various stakeholders from North East and their concerns against the CAB 2019 addressed in the final Amendment Act.
6. Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – enhances the punishment for existing offences like illegal manufacture, sale, transfer and  illegal acquiring, possessing or carrying prohibited arms or prohibited ammunition; illicit trafficking of firearms; celebratory gunfire endangering human life. Arms licenses to be issued for 5 years in electronic form, which would prevent forgery. The Amendment would reduce possession of illegal firearms and commission of criminal offences by limiting 2 licenses per person. Ownership of arms by retired and serving personnel of armed forces and sportspersons remains unaffected by the Amendment. Further, Ancestral guns may be retained in a Deactivated State.
7. Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 –  to make the constitution of NHRC and SHRCs broader and more inclusive.
8.  Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 – Administrative efficiency, better service delivery and effective implementation of  Central and State Government Schemes to be the focus.
   1. Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A
   • Historic step to remove Article 370 and 35A of Constitution of India
   • Brought JK & Ladakh at par with other States and UTs
   • All provisions of Constitution of India, without any modifications or exceptions, to now apply to JK & Ladakh
   • Laws of Union Government wrt education, empowerment of SC, ST, Minorities etc to be applicable to JK & Ladakh
   • Boost to local economy and employment opportunities by increasing investment; Reservation to EWS of society in jobs & educational institutions to apply in JK & Ladakh
   • Betterment of socio-economic infrastructure in JK & Ladakh
   • Jammu and Kashmir reorganised into
     • Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with legislature, and
     • Union Territory of Ladakh without Legislature
     • Formally came into force on  October 31, 2019
     • Maps of newly formed UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh released
     • 1^st Winter-grade Diesel outlet for Ladakh inaugurated by Union Home Minister; move to boost tourism in extreme weather conditions
     • 3% reservation in services and educational institutions extended to people living near the International Border (IB) in J&K, in line with reservation given to people living near the Line of Control (LoC)
     • Amarnath Yatra
       • 3,42,883 yatris had safe and secure Darshan
       • Higher by nearly 20%, as compared to 2018
       • Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
       • Union Cabinet passed a resolution on November 22, 2018 to celebrate the historic occasion of 550^th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Devji in a grand and befitting manner, throughout the country and across the globe
       • India signed the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Agreement with Pakistan on  October 24, 2019
       • National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019 —
       • NIA empowered with extra territorial jurisdiction for investigation of terrorism related offences taking place outside India, in which Indian property/citizens are victims
       • The mandate of NIA is expanded by inclusion of new offences viz. explosive substances, human trafficking, manufacturing/sale of prohibited arms and cyber terrorism, to its Schedule
       • Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019 —
       • Central Government empowered to designate individual as terrorist
       • NIA empowered to seize/forfeit property representing proceeds of terrorism in cases investigated by NIA
       • After recent amendment, 4 Individuals viz., Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim proscribed as Terrorists
       • Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) banned for another five years under sub-sections of UAPA, 1967
       • Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)—–
       • Incidents of LWE violence down from 2258 in 2009 to 833 in 2018
       • Number of deaths dropped from 1005 in 2009 to 240 in 2018
       • Districts affected by naxal violence reduced from 96 in 2010 to 60 in 2018
       • National Register of Citizens (NRC), Assam published on August 31, 2019———–
       • A machinery created for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants
       • ‘In-principle’ approval given for setting up of 1000 additional Foreigners Tribunals (FTs)
       • ‘In-principle’ approval given to Assam Government for creation of e-FT platform (estd. cost – Rs. 99 crores)
       • Increasing Age of Retirement of CAPFs Personnel to 60 years
       • Census of India – 2021 —————-
         1. Foundation Stone of ‘Janganana Bhawan’ laid; Census 2021 to be conducted in 16 languages
         2. All India Conference of State Coordinators, Directors of Census Operations for Census of India 2021 and updation of National Population Register in the country held
         3. Launch of a Census App and Census Portal
         • The Mobile App for Pre—Test Data Collection started from 12.08.2019 released on Google Play Store
         • Census Management and Monitoring Portal (CMMP) operationalised
         • ‘Pen-Paper Census’ to be transformed to a ‘Digital Census’ in Census 2021, according to a PIB release.