Monsoon Session: Indian Antarctic, Weapons of Mass Destruction bills listed for Monday; Know what they are for

The government would push several important legislation in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Monday when Parliament convenes for the Monsoon Session. While the Family Courts (Amendment) and Indian Antarctic bill are listed for Lok Sabha, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill is listed for Rajya Sabha. The Weapons of Mass Destruction bill was passed in Lok Sabha earlier this year. 

Parliament will pay tributes to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Mwai Kibaki the third President of Kenya. All three leaders died this year.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Bill will be moved by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The legislation seeks to ban funding for weapons of mass destruction and enables the Centre to hit at the financial assets of those involved in such activities. 

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju will introduce the family courts (amendment) bill in Lok Sabha which could validate such courts, already operating in several states. 

The absence of a mandatory central government notification has put a question mark on the jurisdiction of the family courts set up to secure a speedy settlement of marriage-related disputes in two states - Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh. To overcome the legal difficulty, the government has brought this bill to help validate the appointment of judicial officers and court staff in the family courts of the two states with retrospective effect.

Over 710 family courts are functioning in 26 states.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh will present the Indian Antarctic Bill in Lok Sabha on Monday. It will implement the Antarctic Treaty and lay down protocols mentioned in the treaty. It will apply to Indian missions to Antarctica. 

With inputs from PTI