Page 9 - article

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

BILLS & ACTS POLITICAL

Jail term, fine for those distorting facts Electoral bonds
in passive euthanasia cases, says for political

redrafted Bill donations notified

Hospitals have to set up approval The redrafted bill did not Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley,
committees for considering cases of encourage active euthanasia. All
on 2 January 2018, outlined the basic
passive euthanasia, and any provisions of the bill only support
contours of the electoral bonds
distortion of facts before such panels passive euthanasia. Passive
scheme announced during the 2017
may lead to a maximum of 10 years in euthanasia involves giving the right
Budget, including their
jail and a fine of up to Rs. 1 crore, a to patients to withhold medical
denominations, validity, and eligibility
redrafted bill states. The panels will treatment or life support system in the
of the purchasers. Electoral bonds
decide on applications of ‘living will’, face of an irreversible terminal illness,
would be a bearer instrument in the
a written document that allows while active euthanasia is the
nature of a promissory note and an
patients to explicitly state their desire acceleration of death using injections
interest-free banking instrument. A
against life-prolonging measures or overdose of drugs.
citizen of India or a body incorporated
when recovery is not possible from a The bill provided for palliative care
terminal condition. which meant while the medication or in India will be eligible to purchase the
The “Management of Patients medical care would be withdrawn, the bond.
with Terminal Illness-Withdrawal of family or the hospital staff would Electoral bonds can be purchased
Medical Life Support Bill” states that continue to take care of the patients in for any value in multiples of Rs.
all super-speciality hospitals should terms of providing nursing care to give 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 10 lakh, and Rs.
have approval committees on passive relief from pain, physical stress and 1 crore from any of the specified
euthanasia which will decide on the maintaining cleanliness among others. branches of the State Bank of India.
applications for the execution of a The redrafted bill terms death from The purchaser will be allowed to buy
‘living will’. “It also calls for passive euthanasia a ‘natural death’. electoral bonds only on due
imprisonment of 5-10 years and a fine It also has provisions for the protection fulfilment of all the extant KYC norms
of Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 1 crore in case of of competent patients (those who can and by making payment from a bank
misrepresentation of facts or placing take decisions on their future treatment), account. It will not carry the name of
forged documents before the medical practitioners and care givers, the payee.
approval committees,” provisions of who will not be considered guilty for The bonds, aimed at increasing
the redrafted bill state. the act of passive euthanasia.
transparency in political funding,
will have a life of 15 days during
BILLS & ACTS which they can be used to make
Triple Talaq Bill pushed back as Winter donations to registered political
parties that have secured not less
Session ends than 1% of the votes polled in the
The triple talaq bill will now be pushed Lok Sabha passed the Triple Talaq bill last election to the Lok Sabha or
to the Budget session as Rajya Sabha which was then forwarded to the Rajya Assembly.
was adjourned sine-die. The Sabha where the government lacks The bonds shall be available for
triple talaq bill was listed in the Rajya majority. The upper house has been purchase for a period of 10 days each
Sabha on 5 January 2018, the last day adjourned multiple times over the bill in the months of January, April, July
of the winter session of parliament. that was briefly discussed in the house. and October, with an additional 30
Both the BJP and the Congress had, The Muslim Women Protection of days to be specified by the Central
earlier in the day, issued a whip asking Rights in Marriage Bill 2017 seeks to government in the year of a general
all its MPs to be present in the house. make instant “triple talaq” a criminal election. The bond shall be
The Congress wants the bill referred offence and proposes up to three encashed by an eligible political
to a standing committee for review, but years in jail as punishment for a party only through a designated
the government stood firm on Muslim man who divorces his wife by bank account with the authorised
opposing that demand. Last week, the saying “talaq” thrice. bank.

32 Competition Wizard March 2018