Hyderabad, March 20: The State Assembly today passed a bill replacing an ordinance which provides 20 per cent reservation to State’s law students at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research University (Nalsar). Law minister M Venkata Ramana introduced the bill which was passed by a majority vote.
The minister said Nalsar was established in the State with the government’s support.
The State Government had given 50 acres of land and Rs 41-crore grant to it, he said.
The minister said similar universities in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab provided reservation to local students, and former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy had wanted a similar provision for the State, Venkata Ramana said.
Telugu Desam party member Prabhakar Rao wanted reservation to SCs and STs, while BJP’s G Kishan Reddy wanted employment for local people. They demanded reservation in George Tech University, BITS and other institutions which availed State Government’s concessions. PRP’s V Geetha wanted better infrastructure in law universities while Congress’ MB Vikramarka wanted reservation to locals in the Indian Business School too.
In his reply the minister assured the members that reservation would be provided to SCs and STs under the State quota.
A bill to amend the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 was also passed by the Assembly today.
Introducing the bill, Labor Minister R Venkat Reddy said the amendment had become necessary as the existing Act allowed declaration of some industries as public utility institutions only for periods of six months. The amendment enables the government to extend the validity period to three years.
TDP, CPI, CPM, BJP and PRP members alleged that in the Special Economic Zones no labour laws were being implemented.
The present bill would take away the rights of the workers of the industries, they criticised and staged a walkout.
A bill to amend the AP Excise Act seeking no payment of damages to wine shops in the event of their closure during disturbances was passed by Assembly amidst protests from Opposition benches.
Opposition parties decried the government’s attitude to prohibition.
TDP’s R Chandrasekhara Reddy wanted to know whether the committee to oversee prohibition was in existence or not. Minister B Satyanarayana said the committee was not reconstituted but asserted that the government was committed to prohibition.
–Agencies