The Union Cabinet on June 12, 2019, has approved the Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, and the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, both of which had lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha session.
Both the Bills were approved at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Bills are now set to be reintroduced in the upcoming Parliament session beginning next week.
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, is aimed at bringing in transparency, accountability and quality in the governance of medical education in the country and would provide for supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for a period of two years from August 26, 2018, the Centre said.
During this period, the Board of Governors shall exercise the powers and functions of the MCI as assigned under the IMC Act, 1956. The number of members in the Board of Governors will be increased from existing 7 to 12, it added.
The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, meanwhile, seeks to extend the period for reconstitution of the Central Council from an existing period of one year to two years so that the tenure of the Board of Governors may be extended for a further period of one year with effect from May 17, 2019.
In the meeting, the Union Cabinet has also approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Dentists Act, 1948, in an effort to make the Dental Council of India more effective.
The Bill would help restructure the Dental Councils and the representation of Central government members and elected members would no longer be made mandatory in the Dental Councils.
