The National Dental Commission Bill of 2023 aims to update the Dentists Act of 1948, taking into
account the advancements made in dental education since that time. The aim of the new
legislation is to improve and revitalise the field of dentistry by repealing the Dentists Act of
1948 and dissolving the Dental Council of India.
The Act of 1948 was an overarching legislative framework governing dental education,
profession, and ethical conduct in the country. Its primary points included allowing the
government authorities to approve the creation of dental colleges, broadening the scope of
higher education in this field, and increasing the number of students who could enrol.

With a 7,517-kilometer coastline and a special marine position, India has enormous
resources that can be exploited, including crust, heavy minerals, lime mud, polymetallic
nodules, and natural gas and crude oil along its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that
covers more than two million square kilometers. In order to develop and regulate
mineral resources on specific marine territories, Parliament passed the “Offshore Areas
Mineral (Development and Regulations) Bill” in 2002 (OAMDR).

In the context of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
recognizing the need for decriminalization of minor, technical, and procedural defaults, the Jan
Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022, was introduced as a result of a draft cabinet note
by the department. This Bill aims to amend 183 provisions across 42 Acts administered by 19
Ministries/Departments.

India has come a long way from being a purchaser and importer of science and technology to
investing in devising its own. The country has a pool of skilled manpower with scientific vigor
and caliber. However, the higher educational institutions (HEIs) in India lack orientation for
research. The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council reports
that only less than 1% of higher education institutions (HEIs) indulge in research. Even among
those 1 % of HEIs that are responsible for the majority of scientific innovation, various factors
hinder the conduct of high-quality research. 1

The exploration and mining of minerals in India have long been hindered by a complex
process requiring multiple permits and licenses. To address this issue and promote ease of
doing business in the mining sector, the Indian government has proposed amendments in
2015, 2016, 2020, and 2021 to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
However, more reforms are needed to increase exploration and mining of critical minerals
essential for India’s economic development and national security.

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, of 1969 was enacted to regulate the registration of
births and deaths. Under the RBD Act, it is the responsibility of the states to set up facilities for
registering births and deaths and maintain records of the same. A Chief Registrar shall be
appointed in every state as the executive authority for the implementation of the Act and the
Registrar General of India appointed under this Act shall be responsible for coordinating and
monitoring the implementation of the RBD Act1
.

The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Bill, 2023 was first proposed by the
Government of India in November 2020 and is getting introduced by the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare (MoHFW) in the Parliament during this Monsoon Session. The Bill proposes to
remove the currently governing Indian Nursing Council (INC) Act, 1947, and replace it with a
National Nursing and Midwifery Commission. The INC Act currently is responsible for ensuring the
educational standards, minimum entrance requirements, and prescribing curriculum for nursing
courses.

The Central Government notified the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 in May to implement provisions for exercising its
administrative powers in the UT of NCT of Delhi. This Ordinance will now be
introduced, and considered during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, as the
‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023’.

The Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, of 2002, which governs cooperatives that serve the
interests of members in more than one state, is being amended by this bill. This comprises the
21 national cooperative societies mentioned in the Bill, as well as federal cooperative societies
whose membership is restricted to cooperative societies or multi-state cooperative societies.

The 1992 Rio Summit (or United Nations Conference on Environment and Development), to
which India is a signatory, made it obligatory to ensure legal compliance with the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) that aims at conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of
biological resources. Subsequently, India enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002 to
establish necessary statutory and administrative mechanisms at the national level to realize the
above objectives. The primary objectives of the 2002 Act comprise safeguarding biological
diversity along with traditional knowledge, promoting sustainable use of biodiversity, and
ensuring equal distribution of benefits deriving from biological diversity.