7 new laws, including Delhi services bill, receive Presidential assent

Seven new laws, including the one related to the control of services matter in Delhi, passed by Parliament this week came into force on Saturday after they received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu.

An official gazette notification in this regard was issued by the government.

The legislations that become operational are the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023; The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Act, 2023; The National Dental Commission Act, 2023; and The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023.

The Delhi services bill secured parliamentary approval on Monday after the Rajya Sabha passed the contentious measure that will give the Centre control over bureaucracy in the national capital, with the BJP-led NDA thwarting opposition challenge in the keenly-watched numbers game.

The law replaced an ordinance brought by the Centre on May 19 -- the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 -- to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

The Digital Personal Data Protection bill, passed by Parliament this week, has received President's assent, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) law aims to protect the privacy of Indian citizens while proposing a penalty of up to Rs 250 crore on entities for misusing or failing to protect digital data of individuals.

Companies handling user data will be required to safeguard the individual's information, and instances of personal data breach have to be reported to the Data Protection Board (DPB) and the user.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was passed in both Houses of Parliament during the Monsoon session, also received the President's assent.

The law will allow the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission to an education institute, issuance of a driving licence, preparation of a voter list, Aadhaar number, registration of marriage or appointment to a government job.

The law will help create a national and state-level database of registered births and deaths which eventually would ensure efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits, and digital registration.

Last week too, as many as seven new laws became effective after the President gave her assent following their passage by Parliament.

These were the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2023; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2023; The Multi State Cooperative Societies Amendment Act 2023; and The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023.