Parliament approves Delimitation Bill

NEW DELHI, AUG. 23. Parliament today gave its approval to a Constitution Amendment Bill extending the current freeze on the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies till 2026 with the Rajya Sabha passing the legislation by 166 votes to nil.

The bill, already passed by the Lok Sabha, provides for fresh delimitation to alter the size of constituencies and proposes to refix the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies on the basis of the population ascertained at the 1991 census.

Speedy alimony

The legislation to give speedy alimony to women facing divorce proceedings was approved by Parliament on Wednesday. The bill makes it mandatory for courts to decide within 60 days an application for interim maintenance during the pendency of divorce petitions.

The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend relevant clauses of the Indian Divorce Act, the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, the Special Marriage Act and the Hindu Marriage Act.

Advocates Welfare Bill

The Rajya Sabha approved the Advocates Welfare Fund Bill, 2001, seeking to create a welfare fund for advocates on a uniform basis and to make their membership compulsory.

ICWA Bill adopted

The Lok Sabha today adopted a bill seeking to effect major changes in the management of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) even as the Opposition accused the Centre of trying to ``saffronise'' the institution.

Replying to a short debate, the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr. Jagmohan, allayed fears about ``saffronisation'' of the ICWA saying the legislation would provide representation to all hues of informed political opinion by including scholars, former diplomats, vice-chancellors and parliamentarians.

Financial frauds

The Centre is likely to set up a separate bureau of investigation for financial frauds on the lines of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to safeguard investors' interest and reduce risks of diversion of funds from the banking sector.

A bill proposed for this would also pave the way for setting up a committee for prevention of frauds, sources said here today.

- PTI, UNI

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