Consumer Protectiom Bill, Maternity Benefit Bill, GST may be cleared in this Budget session

MUMBAI: As the second leg of the Budget Session kickstarts today, we might see the passage of bills like Consumer Protection Bill and Maternity Benefit Bill (Amendment) Bill, 2016, along with the passage of many GST-related bills during the session.

Investment advisory Ambit Capital said that the first half of the Budget Session that lasted from 31st January to 9th February to adjourn for a recess of 27 days, was a productive one. It saw two key bills being passed, namely, The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017.

While The Payment of Wages bill talks about removing the need for a written authorisation from the employee for him to receive wages by cheque or through a bank account, The Specified Bank Notes Bill essentially legalised the demonetisation move by the government in November, 2016 and made the holding of the banned notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 subject to fine.


The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that proposes extending paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks is expected to be moved today in Lok Sabha, along with the The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims), 2016. The Consumer Protection Bill, that seeks to make the act of misleading advertisement punishable by imposition of heavy fines, among other objectives, is another bill expected to receive attention in this session.