Current Affairs - Bills and Acts

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act was enacted in India in the year 1999, and it came into effect in 2003. This legislation was crucial for establishing the framework to protect and promote products with unique geographical origins and qualities. The first product in India to receive a Geographical Indication (GI) tag under this law was Darjeeling tea in 2004, marking a significant milestone in India's efforts to safeguard its traditional products and enhance their market recognition based on their geographical identity.

The Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, were originally established in the year 1972. These rules have been recently amended to extend maternity and child care leave provisions for government employees involved in surrogacy, allowing commissioning mothers 180 days of maternity leave and commissioning fathers 15 days of paternity leave. This amendment marks a significant update to regulations that were instituted over five decades ago, reflecting evolving policies to support parental responsibilities among government servants.

The Indian Post Office Act of 2023 replaced the Indian Post Office Act, of 1898, bringing significant updates to postal regulations in India. The new Act introduced provisions for the interception of postal items for security reasons exempted the Post Office from certain liabilities, and expanded regulatory oversight to include private courier services. This legislative change reflects adaptations to modern postal and communication needs, including digital addressing systems and updated service charge mechanisms.

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution empowers the President to introduce a bill in Parliament for the renaming of a state, upon recommendation. This process requires a simple majority in Parliament to enact the name change into law. State assemblies can propose resolutions for renaming, but their views are not binding on Parliament, as seen in the case of Kerala's recent resolution to rename the state as 'Keralam', which was previously returned by the Centre due to procedural issues.

The Nalanda University Act, which laid the foundation for the establishment of Nalanda University, was passed in the year 2010. Recently, on June 19, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University near the ancient ruins of Nalanda in Rajgir, Bihar. This event marked a significant milestone in the revival of this historic institution, originally thriving for 800 years until its destruction in the 12th century. The Act was instrumental in formalizing decisions taken during the East Asia Summits in 2007 and 2009, underscoring India's commitment to restoring its legacy as an international centre of learning and cultural exchange.