Amid total chaos and bedlam in Lok Sabha on Friday, July 28, three bills were passed within minutes, after which the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day till July 31. The bills passed are the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill which will allow the private sector to bid for mining critical minerals like Lithium, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, and the National Dental Commission Bill. While the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, was passed after a brief discussion, the other two bills were clubbed together and passed without discussion.
Even as the Opposition kept up with their protests seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response on Manipur violence and his presence in the House, the government first introduced the IIM (Amendment) Bill and then within half an hour, three bills were passed. Opposition members indulged in slogan shouting and said the passing of the bills despite the fact that a no-confidence motion had been moved in the House was “illegal” and “a fraud on the Constitution.”
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, was seen gesticulating angrily from his seat, even as Sonia Gandhi watched the chaotic scenes quietly. Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi while piloting the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, called it a “game changer.” Both Joshi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya went to the back benches when their respective bills were being passed, to avoid the protesting members.
Out of the list of critical minerals, a few of them have been brought under the proposed amendment, which will allow their mining by private entities. In addition, the proposed amendments will also allow the Union government to auction these minerals while the royalty will go to states.
In the Bill, it is proposed to omit six minerals, namely Beryl and other beryllium-bearing minerals, Lithium-bearing minerals, Niobium-bearing minerals, Titanium bearing minerals and ores, Tantallium-bearing minerals, and Zirconium-bearing minerals and ores from the list of critical minerals.
Upon removal of these minerals from the said list, their exploration and mining will be opened up for the private sector as well. As a result, exploration and mining of these minerals is expected to increase significantly in the country.
The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a National Register and State Registers, and creation of a system to improve access, research and development, and adoption of latest scientific advancement.
The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023 will regulate the profession of dentistry in the country, to provide for quality and affordable dental education, and to make high quality oral healthcare accessible.