Hyderabad: Assembly passes four Bills sans discussion

Hyderabad: The government on Sunday passed four Bills, including amending the Payment of Salaries and Pensions and Disqualifications Act removing 29 more posts from the purview of office of profit, the Telangana Lokayukta Act, which is aimed at making a retired judge of High Court as Lokayukta instead of retired Chief Justice.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao introduced the Bills and also explained the objectives behind the amendments. Speaking on the Payment of Salaries and Pensions and Removal of Disqualifications Act, the Minister said so far, a total of 121 posts were already excluded from the purview of the Disqualification Act, enabling legislators to occupy office of profit.

The amendment removed 29 more posts from Act's purview.

It may be mentioned here that the amendment would enable the MLAs to hold the posts like chairmen of MBC Development Corporation, Rythu Samanvaya Samithi, Musi Riverfront Development Corporation, Labour Welfare Board etc. The Finance Minister brought the Bill to amend the Telangana Lokayukta Act, 1983.

The existing Act mandated that a retired Chief Justice of High Court can be made Lokayukta. There was shortage of chief justice in Telangana and hence amendment was brought in. With the amendment, a retired judge of High Court can be made Lokayukta.

The Finance Minister brought another Bill to amend Telangana Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017.

He said that the government was making the companies to submit Aadhaar card mandatorily to curb fake registrations. Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao introduced the Bill to repeal the Telangana Self-Help Groups (SHG) Women Co-contributory Pension Act, 2009.

The Minister said the government was providing better pensions (Aasara) compared to the Abhayahastham. With this amendment, the government proposes to hand over the government's share of money and end the scheme. All the four bills were passed without discussion.

The government also adopted a resolution ratifying the amendments to the Constitution of India falling within the purview of clause (d) of proviso to clause (2)of Article 368, proposed to be made by the Constitution of (126th amendment) Bill as passed by both Houses of Parliament. Legislative Affairs Minister V Prashanth Reddy moved the resolution.