The first day of the winter session of Parliament has commenced today, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi officiating Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Slated to continue until 29 December, the winter session will be held for 17 days.
In these 17 days, about 16 bills will be taken up for discussion and debate. These include the Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022, among others.
The Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill deals with the Madrid Registration System and aims to provide a one-stop solution to enterprises for registering their trade-marks and protecting their brands in multiple countries.
Another bill that is expected to be tabled is the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Bill, 2022, that seeks to simplify some of the procedures in order to be more accessible to all stakeholders.
The North East Water Management Authority Bill, 2022, as the name suggests, seeks to create a new entity, the North East Water Management Authority (NEWMA), by dissolving the existing statutory body, i.e., the Brahmaputra Board.
One of the important bills to be introduced would be the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022, which will seek to repeal redundant and obsolete laws.
Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on 9 December 2019 is also slated to be discussed in the parliament in this winter session. The bill seeks to set up domestic anti-maritime piracy legislation in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and provide the necessary legal framework for the prosecution of persons for piracy-related crimes committed beyond the territorial jurisdiction of India.