Bill for containing violence against Med personnel to be introduced

New Delhi, Sep 8 (UNI) The Delhi Cabinet today approved the introduction, in the Legislative Assembly, of a Bill providing for containing violence against medical personnel and damage to property in medicare institutions.

The decision to introduce the Bill, providing for punishment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine upto Rs 50,000 or both, in the forthcoming Monsoon Session, to be held from September 10-12, was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, the Chief Minister said increase in incidents of violence against medical personnel has resulted in unrest among them, disruption of medicare services and inconvenience to members of the general public besides causing loss of property as well as adverse impact on the psyche and morale of medicare service personnel and other service providers.

Recent incidents of violence at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Guru Gobind Singh Hospital have become cause of concern. It was, therefore, felt to contain such incidents.

The Cabinet has also decided to introduce the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sales and Usage and Garbage (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2008.

The Bill provides that no person shall manufacture, stock, distribute or sell plastic bags made of virgin or recycled, degradable or non-degradable plastic bags, which are less than 8X12" (20X30 cm) in size and with thickness less than 40 microns.

It further provides that the plastic bag manufactured out of virgin plastic shall be of natural or white colour. As per the amended Bill, two new sections are being added whereas certain sections are being amended.

The government has decided to introduce the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University Bill, 2008 in the Legislative Assembly.

It has also decided to set up a University for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, which would be non-affiliating and teaching University in Delhi. The National Knowledge Commission has emphasized the need of setting up of more Universities particularly in specialized area.

The Planning Commission has consented for a proposal for establishment of a State University in Pharmaceutical Sciences in Delhi in order to provide effective and quality education especially considering the growth and development in this field.

New University would facilitate and promote teaching, research, incubation and extension work in pharmaceutical sciences and its application domains and achieve excellence.

Ms Dikshit added that the Cabinet has also decided to introduce the Delhi Higher Education Council Bill, 2008 in the Legislative Assembly with an aim to achieve globally competitive standards of higher education. The Bill provides for establishment of Delhi Higher Education Council, which would have the Chief Minister as its Patron and the Minister-in-Charge of Higher Education as its Chairman.

The Council shall comprise of the Governing Council and the Executive Council. Major responsibilities and the functions of the Council are to provide academic inputs to the government and the Universities, Research Institutions and other Centre of Higher Learning for implementation of the policies, evolve a perspective plan for development of Higher Education, to undertake independent research for generation of new idea and Human Resources Development Planning, to suggest means for implementation of the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission, to take steps for making Delhi a leading knowledge Centre.

The job of the Council is also to evolve guidelines for linkages with leading higher educational institutions, to evolve appropriate guidelines for regulating admissions, to suggest improvements in curriculum and syllabi, to take steps for enhancing capacity of higher education personnel.

It will also advise the government on setting of new courses, colleges and other institutions, to make proposals for the generation and utilisation of funds, to evolve general guidelines for release of grants, to devise schemes for providing equitable opportunities for higher education, to make recommendations on the norms for affiliation and to submit an overview report on the functioning of the Universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education.

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