A new Bill that seeks to empower the transgender community and another legislation to crack down on Ponzi schemes were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday amid protests from Opposition members over the Karnataka political turmoil.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, introduced by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot, provides a mechanism to empower the transgender community socially and economically, along with their educational advancement.
Though Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called out the name of the Congress’s Shashi Tharoor, he could not speak as members from his party were protesting over the Karnataka political crisis.
The Transgender Persons Bill gives a person the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy.
Clause dropped
While the legislation provides for a person to go through a district screening committee and the district magistrate to get certified as a transgender, a contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgenders has been dropped. The Transgender Bill had been introduced in the 16th Lok Sabha but had lapsed.
The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019, will replace an ordinance. It seeks to help crack down on illicit deposit taking activities exploiting regulatory gaps and lack of strict measures to dupe poor and gullible people. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bill.
