Government Presents Aquaculture Bill Amidst Uproar in Lok Sabha

The Bill, introduced by Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala, proposes to decriminalise certain acts listed in the previous 2005 Act in order to promote ease of doing business.

It also aims to improve the Coastal Aquaculture Authority's operational procedures and promote newer forms of environmentally friendly coastal aquaculture such as cage culture, seaweed culture, marine ornamental fish culture, and pearl oyster culture, all of which have the potential to create additional job opportunities.

It also prohibits the use of antibiotics and pharmacologically active chemicals in coastal aquaculture that are detrimental to human health. The Bill was introduced amid a commotion as Opposition MPs in black marched into the Well, holding placards and shouting slogans seeking a JPC investigation into the Adani issue.

The Speaker, BJP MP Rama Devi, asked the protesting MPs to return to their seats and allow the House to function. She was forced to adjourn the House, however, since the members continued to protest.

Earlier in the morning, the Lok Sabha hardly functioned for a minute as Opposition members, primarily Congress MPs, rushed into the House Well as soon as proceedings began at 11 a.m. MP Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the Chair, requested that the Question Hour proceed, but when they refused, he postponed the House till 2 p.m. 

The second leg of the Budget Session, which began on March 13, has seen heated exchanges between the Opposition and Treasury benches, primarily over the need for a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Adani problem. The Session is set to conclude on April 6.