Centre to send DNA Bank Bill to states for comments

New Delhi, Apr 29 (ANI): The Government on Thursday said that the proposed DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) Data Bank bill would be sent to all States for their views.

Relying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan said: "The Draft Bill is being sent to all the States for their comments."

The Bill proposes to set up DNA Data Banks both at the National and State level.

The Science and Technology Ministry has obtained comments of Union Home Ministry, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Planning Commission, Union Finance Ministry, Defence Ministry, Union Law and Justice Ministry, Directorate of Forensic Science on the proposes Bill.

Chavan informed members that the comments received from the various Ministries and Departments have inter alia referred to the scope of the Draft Bill.

He said that the comments were mainly about provisions for confidentiality of information and penalties for misuse or abuse thereof; size, composition and tenure of members of the DNA Profiling Board, its powers and functions and administrative support therefore; data sharing between the National and State DNA Data Banks, approval norms for DNA Profiling laboratories; and procedures for expungement of records from the Data Bank.

Declining to comment on probable time to place the Bill before parliament, Chavan said since no specific time frame can be indicated at this stage as the finalization of draft Bill involves further consultation with the State Governments followed by Cabinet approval etc. (ANI)