Devender Singh Aswal

Eventually, Parliament passes the Dam Safety Bill

December 6, 2021

As principal draftsman of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Water Resources on the Dam Safety Bill, 2010, it’s a matter of immense satisfaction that the dam safety legislation has been eventually enacted. The Dam Safety Bill, 2021 was passed by the Rajya Sabha after extensive debate on 2nd December...

The procedure and power of repealing laws

November 24, 2021

The nation got a great sigh of relief when the prime minister addressed the nation on the 19th instant of the government’s resolve to repeal the three farm laws. Repealing of laws is not unprecedented or novel as parliaments across the globe repeal the laws enacted by them when such...

Celebrating 100 years of the Public Accounts Committee

November 3, 2021

A needless controversy was kicked when Om Birla, the Speaker Lok Sabha invited the President of the Senate of Pakistan to attend the centenary celebrations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the 4th and 5th December, 2021. All the chairs of the PACs of the Commonwealth countries have been...

NEP warrants rewriting school syllabus

October 27, 2021

Eyebrows were raised, and speculation spiralled, when a member of the Kasturirangan-led committee, set up recently to revise the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and lay down the broad guidelines for school syllabus and textbooks, said that the existing curriculum in schools dwells “too much on defeats”, and that “in the...

Lok Sabha without the Deputy Speaker

October 20, 2021

The Vedic literature refers to ‘Sabha’, ‘Samiti’, and ‘Sabhapati’. A hymn of Yajurveda says, ‘Salutations to the Assembled and salutations to the President’. An Assembly cannot transact business without electing its Sabhapati or the President. The makers of our Constitution, therefore, made specific provision for the election of the Speaker...

Environment and the right to life: The conjoined twins

October 4, 2021

‘You must show it is a ministry for environment and not just of environment,” said the Supreme Court (hereinafter the Court) as recent as June, 2021, when the Ministry of Environment, GoI challenged the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) finding faults with a Government Notification of 2017, diluting...

Enforcing the right to education

August 19, 2021

In ‘a sorry state of affairs’ when Parliament ceases to be a forum of enlightening debate and discussion, and when ‘privilege’ is invoked to block scrutiny by a parliamentary committee, it is propitious that the recommendation of the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to bring all minority-run...

Demanding discussion no breach of privilege

August 6, 2021

The issue of Pegasus spyware phone tapping has further snowballed into another controversy. The Opposition in Parliament has been persistently demanding discussion, which has been fuelled further by the suo motu statement of Ashwini Kumar, Minister for IT and Communications. The minister said the allegations levelled just ahead of Parliament...

NCAH Act: A welcome move for allied & healthcare professionals

April 14, 2021

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020 (NCAH Act) has been passed by Parliament after a long wait. The Act provides for the regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a Central Register and State...

WHY WE SHOULD NOT CREATE UNWARRANTED EXAM HYPE

February 25, 2021

A video of the Delhi government’s Director of Education addressing school students in their classroom, telling them to “attempt every question even if it means just copying out the question again”, has raised eyebrows and become a subject of public disdain. Later, on being queried, a senior member of the...

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