With a gradual decline in the size of farm holdings, small and marginal farmer families are in need of multiple sources of income to come out of the poverty trap. Rural men belonging to resource poor families increasingly tend to go to towns and c..

With a gradual decline in the size of farm holdings, small and marginal farmer families are in need of multiple sources of income to come out of the poverty trap. Rural men belonging to resource poor families increasingly tend to go to towns and cities seeking work and income earning opportunities. Consequently, there is an increasing feminization of agriculture. While women farmers are extremely hard working and are also conversant with sustainable agriculture practices, they suffer from several handicaps such as title to land, and access to credit, inputs, insurance, technology and market. As early as 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing urged developing countries to pay attention to the gender specific needs of women farmers. India is on the threshold of enacting a landmark Food Security Bill. Legal entitlements to food can be implemented only by improving the productivity, profitability and sustainability of small farm holdings, since small and marginal farmers produce nearly fifty percent of the foodgrains in the country, as well as milk and a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. The need for paying special attention to the needs of women farmers has been recognized by initiating a "Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana" in the Union Budget of 2010-11.In order to safeguard national food security, and to strengthen the livelihood security of rural women, a majority of whom are engaged in crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, agro-forestry and agro-processing, the Bill is being proposed. It is necessary to implement the aforesaid decisions under article 253 of the Constitution of India in so far as they relate to the women farmers' entitlements 

Sugarcane is a cash crop. It is cultivated in various States in the country. It is a crop of the whole year and it is one of the major materials to produce sugar. The Sugarcane growers are facing problems, as they are not getting remunerative pric..

Sugarcane is a cash crop. It is cultivated in various States in the country. It is a crop of the whole year and it is one of the major materials to produce sugar. The Sugarcane growers are facing problems, as they are not getting remunerative price for their produce. Sugarcane growing has become a non-profitable agricultural activity due to increase in the prices of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides and other inputs and the prices of sugarcane produce have not increased in the same proportion. There is demandthe price of the Sugarcane be fixed on the basis of cost of production and price of sugar. To meet the demand that sufficient production of sugarcane is necessary. It is possible, if, the growers get remunerative price for sugarcane. Sugarcane growers have to go for loans as the investment in the cultivation has gone up. They are also not getting payment of their produce on time. This has led to their indebtedness and when they are unable to repay loans, they take the extreme step of committing suicide or self immolations. Further, due to unremunerative price for sugarcane, the aggrievedsugarcane growers are forced to abandon sugarcane farming in favour of other crops resulting in decline in the growth of sugarcane production. The Government is required to provide remunerative price and also immediate relief to sugarcane growers in the event of natural calamities like storm, heavy rains,drought, hailstorm and flood so that sugarcane growers can feel respite. There is an urgent need to enact a law, which can ensure governmental assistance to sugarcane growers in the event of fall in prices or damage to their crops. Therefore, setting up of a fund for sugarcane growers and provision of insurance scheme for them will prove to be beneficial. An agency is also required to be set up by the Central Government to procure the sugarcane produce. The Bill, if enancted, will protect the interests and promote the welfare of the sugarcane growers in the country and will help growth of the sugarcane production inthe country in a big way. Hence this Bill.

Object and Reasons: Crops are affected by natural calamities very often. Every year, the standing crops are destroyed due to either drought or heavy floods and farmers suffer in silence. Presently, there is drought like situation in several parts ..

Object and Reasons: Crops are affected by natural calamities very often. Every year, the standing crops are destroyed due to either drought or heavy floods and farmers suffer in silence. Presently, there is drought like situation in several parts of the country. It is true that we have crop insurance scheme for farmers but it does not cover all types of crops against all natural calamities. The insurance coverage is not comprehensive as it is based on premium amount and many factors are not taken into account while determining the loss suffered by farmers. Moreover, the crop insurance is not a statutory mechanism. In view of the above, it is proposed to put in a place a permanent statutory mechanism to ensure that the farmers get their due compensation in the event of natural calamities. Hence this Bill.

                                    Introduced in Lok Sabha Dec. 7, 2012 

Object and Reasons: About seventy per cent. of the population o..

                                    Introduced in Lok Sabha Dec. 7, 2012 

Object and Reasons: About seventy per cent. of the population of the country lives in villages out of which approximately ninety per cent. people are engaged in agricultural activities. The economic condition of farmers have remained more or less unchanged so, far. They are always trapped in the vicious cycle of debt and the debt burden passes on to their next generation. The farmers always live in penury and remain apprehensive of their future. Therefore, the Government should take the responsibility of providing them their minimum requirements so as to enable them to perform their agricultural activities. The farmers work not only for earning their livelihood but they also provide succour to the entire nation. Of late, the incidents of committing suicides by the debt ridden farmers have increased manifold. Such cases of suicides can be avoided by providing certain facilities to farmers. If the farmers are provided with agricultural inputs at reasonable rates, the agricultural production will increase manifold which will ultimately benefit not only the farmers but the whole nation. Besides, certain other welfare measures like insurance, health service and financial assistance to farmers will go a long way to alleviate their sufferings. Therefore, the Bill seeks to provide certain basic facilities like compensation, insurance cover, health services to farmers and their family members. It also provides for supply of good quality seeds, pesticides, manure and fertilizers and uninterrupted power and water supply, etc. to farmers for agricultural activities at reasonable cost so that they may carry out agricultural activities in an efficient manner without any hurdle. Hence this Bill.

Introduced on August 18, 2013

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the Government of India in October, 2007, made it obligatory on the Government to align the policies and laws o..

Introduced on August 18, 2013

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the Government of India in October, 2007, made it obligatory on the Government to align the policies and laws of the country with the Convention. The need for amendments to the Mental Health Act, 1987 was felt by the fact that the related law, i.e., the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 was also in the process of amendment. The Mental Health Act, 1987 could not protect the rights of persons with mental illness and promote their access to mental health care in the country. 2. In light of above, it is proposed to bring in a new legislation by repealing the Mental Health Act, 1987, and (a) Recognising that: (i) Persons with mental illness constitute a vulnerable section of society and are subject to discrimination in our society; (ii) Families bear financial hardship, emotional and social burden of providing treatment and care for their relatives with mental illness; (iii) Persons with mental illness should be treated like other persons with health problems and the environment around them should be made conducive to facilitate recovery, rehabilitation and full participation in society; (iv) The Mental Health Act, 1987 was insufficient to protect the rights of personswith mental illness and promote their access to mental health care in the country; (b) And in order to: (i) Protect and promote the rights of persons with mental illness during the delivery of health care in institutions and in the community; (ii) Ensure health care, treatment and rehabilitation of persons with mental illness, is provided in the least restrictive environment possible, and in a manner that does not intrude on their rights and dignity. Community-based solutions, in the vicinity of theperson’s usual place of residence, are preferred to institutional solutions; (iii) Provide treatment, care and rehabilitation to improve the capacity of the person to develop his or her full potential and to facilitate his or her integration into community life; (iv) Fulfil the obligations under the Constitution and the obligations under various International Conventions ratified by India; (v) Regulate the public and private mental health sectors within a rights framework to achieve the greatest public health good; (vi) Improve accessibility to mental health care by mandating sufficient provision of quality public mental health services and non-discrimination in health insurance; (vii) Establish a mental health system integrated into all levels of general health care; and (viii) Promote principles of equity, efficiency and active participation of all stakeholders in decision making. 3. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objects.

                                                Show

                                                As introduced

The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, as amended from time to time, provides for matters relating to merchant shipping in India. The objective of the said Act is to ensure the development and efficient maintenance of the Indian mercantile marine in a manner best suited to serve the national interests. India is a member of International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva. India has acceded to various ILO Conventions. Now, India intends to accede to the International Labour Organisation's instrument C-186, known as the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (herein referred to as the MLC). This Convention is considered as the 'Bill of Rights' for the seafarers across the world, given that shipping, as an industry, is, intrinsically, global in nature. The MLC provides for international standards for the living and workingconditions, of seafarers, including their food, accommodation, medical care, repatriation, social security, and recruitment. The main purposes of the said Convention are: (i) to bring the system of seamen's protection contained in the existing labour standards closer to the workers concerned, in a form consistent with the rapidly developing and globalised sector; and (ii) to improve the applicability of the system so that ship owners and governments interested in providing decent conditions of work to their respective national seafarers do not have to bear an unequal burden in ensuring their protection. Paragraph 4 of Article II of the said Convention provides that except as expressly provided for otherwise, the provisions of the said Convention applies to all ships, whether publicly or privately owned, ordinarily engaged in commercial activities, other than ships engaged in fishing or in similar pursuits and  traditionally built dhows and junks, but does not apply to warships or naval auxiliaries. On ratification of the MLC, India will ensure an improvement in the working and living conditions, and employment rights of Indian national seafarers, and provide, inter alia, the following benefits to them: (a) safe and secure workplace on a ship; (b) fair terms of employment; (c) decent working and living conditions on a ship; and (d) right to health protection, medical care and other social protection. The Central Government has approved the ratification of the MLC. Therefore, it is proposed to amend the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, to make enabling provisions for implementation and enforcement of the MLC; and thereby making it mandatory for Indian flag vessels to comply with the provisions of the said Convention and to obtain a Maritime Labour Certificate to that effect for the Indian flag vessels. Under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013, every Indian flag vessel of 500 gross tonnage or more and engaged in international voyage(s), would be issued with a Maritime Labour Certificate after an inspection of the ship concerned. This will enable them to get preferential treatment and exemption from their inspection for this purpose at foreign ports thereby reducing operational time and transaction costs for them. Further, India will be to ensure that all foreign flag vessels entering the territorial waters of India, or any marine areas adjacent thereto, over which India has, or may hereafter have an exclusive jurisdiction, are subject to an inspection under the MLC, by which the rights of all seafarers regardless of their nationality are protected. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives.