Cabinet clears triple talaq, slew of other crucial bills

New Delhi: As promised, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cleared a fresh bill to protect rights of married Muslim women by banning the practice of instant triple talaq.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, which was passed by the Cabinet, will be introduced in the upcoming Parliament session beginning June 17.

While elaborating on the decisions taken by the Cabinet, Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that the government was confident that the triple talaq bill would get passed in both the houses of the parliament as all demands of opposition parties had been taken into consideration.

"The government has made all the necessary changes in the bill. Given that our PM is committed towards sabka sath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas, this bill will be passed in Rajya Sabha unanimously," Javadekar said, adding that the Bill proposes to declare the practice of triple talaq as void and illegal. "The Bill also provides for payment of subsistence allowance to married Muslim women and dependent children. It also proposes to make the offence cognizable," Javadekar said.

In another important decision, the Cabinet has cleared the Jammu Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which is aimed at giving relief to persons in J&K residing in areas adjoining International Border. Once the bill gets passed, about 3.5 lakh residents living in 435 villages adjoining International Border would get the reservation benefits in direct recruitment, promotion and admission in different professional courses.

The Cabinet has also approved the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 making Aadhaar a voluntary requirement for KYC. Once the bill gets passed in both the Houses of the Parliament, no individual would be compelled to provide Aadhaar number unless provided by law.

The Cabinet has also approved the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill, 2019, which would enable a 200-point roster system in universities and colleges. It will enable filling 7,000 existing vacancies of teachers across the country, the minister said.