President gives assent to Bill for appointment of CEC, ECs, 3 other Bills

financialexpress.com:

President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to a Bill that seeks to put in place a mechanism for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners, according to a government notification issued on Friday, reported PTI.

The Lok Sabha on December 21 passed the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Elections Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, while the Rajya Sabha passed it on December 12.

The Bill has provisions to set up a search committee that will be chaired by the law minister and two other persons not below the rank of secretary, to prepare a panel of five persons for consideration by the selection committee for appointment as CEC or ECs.

The Bill also aims to form a select committee for the appointment of the election commissioners, which will consist of the Prime Minister (as chairperson), the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet minister nominated by the PM.

Along with this Bill, the President also granted assent to the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, which replaced the British-era Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867. The Rajya Sabha had passed the Bill on August 3.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur had earlier said that with this Bill newspapers and periodicals will now be able to get registered within two months, which required two-three years earlier.

“This bill is simple, smart and has a simultaneous process for registration of newspapers and periodicals. Earlier newspapers or magazines had to pass through an eight-step registration process. This can now be done at the click of a button,” Thakur had said responding to the discussion on the bill in the Lok Sabha on