[NavHind Times] Seven bills introduced on first day of budget session

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NT Staff Reporter

Panaji, March 24

The government today introduced seven bills including one to contain ragging and to amend various existing acts on the first day of the budget session of the state legislative assembly.

The first bill (the Goa Prohibition of Ragging Bill 2008) introduced today pertained to contain upsurge of harassment (physical and psychological) of junior students by seniors, which lead to their discontinuing the studies. The bill aims at prohibiting ragging in educational institutions.

The second bill (The Goa Town and Country Planning (amendment) Bill 2008) aims at amending Section 16 and 16A of the Goa, Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1974, and repeal to ordinance promulgated to that effect.

Through the third bill, The Goa Value Added Tax (third amendment) Bill, 2008, the government has sought to amend various sections of the Goa Value Added Tax Act, 2005, which among other things provide for imposing penalty of Rs 1,000 per quarter on dealers who fail to file returns within the stipulated period.

By the fourth bill (The Goa Buildings (lease, rent and eviction) Control (amendment) Bill, 2008) introduced in the House today, the government has sought to amend Section 23A of the Goa, Daman and Diu Buildings (lease, rent and eviction) Control Act, 1968, by inserting a new sub-section (3B) to protect the property rights of non-resident Indians and enable them to recover possession of their premises for own occupation or that of their family members.

The government also introduced three other bills including the Goa Preservation of Trees (amendment) Bill, 2008, The Goa Electricity Duty (amendment) Bill, 2008 and the Goa Motor Vehicles Tax (amendment) Bill, 2008.

Meanwhile, the House today passed the Goa Appropriation Bill, 2008, for Rs 286 crore. The bill provides for appropriation of sums from and out of the consolidated fund of the state of Goa to meet the expenditure on certain services, granted by the legislative assembly for those services.