Parliament passes NDPS (Amendment) Bill-2021

New Delhi: Parliament passed a bill to rectify errors that had crept into the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, with Rajya Sabha giving its nod to it on Monday.

The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill-2021 was passed by Lok Sabha on December 13.

Moving the bill in the Upper House for its consideration and passage, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it replaces the ordinance which was promulgated in September this year as Parliament was not in session then.

Rajya Sabha passed the bill by a voice vote.

Before the bill was passed, the Congress staged a walkout as Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge took strong objection to him not being given an opportunity to speak and expressed his anguish, saying "LoP is given priority to speak...(I am) begging, asking (to speak)." After rasing the issue of suspension of 12 members of Rajya Sabha and mentioning about the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, he along with other Congress members staged a walkout.

Moving the bill, Sitharaman said, "There was an order of the High Court of Tripura, which very quickly wanted us to take it up and therefore we had to bring the Ordinance."