Govt suffers major set back on JIPMER Bill

New Delhi, Dec 5 (UNI) The UPA Government today sufferred a major embarassment when it had to take back the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry (JIPMER), Bill, 2007 to the Cabinet for reconsideration after members in the Rajya Sabha refused to withdraw certain amendments to the Bill.

''It is embarassing for the Government. It is for the first time in the history of Rajya Sabha that we have to take back a legislation,'' Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told the House.

He said the Bill would be reconsidered by the Government in the light of the changes suggested by members, but it was not possible to incorporate every comma, semicolon and full stop. And if that is again objected to, then let the people of Puducherry decide what kind of amendment they want, added the Minister.

Mr Dasmunsi appeared in the House after Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss failed to make Ms Brinda Karat of the CPI(M )to withdraw her amendment for retaining the existing fee structure so as to benefit poor students, prompting the latter to say that he would have to take back the Bill to the Cabinet with the House's consent.

On this Mr Ravi Shankar of the BJP wanted to know from Mr P J Kurien, who was in the Chair, that if it was the property of the House, as the Chair had already said then how could the Minister decide to withdraw once it had gone to the Standing Committee.

Mr Kurien said he was going to take back the Bill only with the consent of the House, a proposal to which the members agreed.

Mr Kurien said in fact the Bill was not being withdrawn but was being postphoned.

Earlier, trying to convince Ms Karat and other members, Mr Ramadoss said an Act never states anything about fee structure, and such issues could be taken care of while framing rules.

Eds : Pls pick up suitably from earlier series.

UNI