Raj Assembly session: 7 key bills to be tabled, including new proposals on RIMS, women's night shifts

Jaipur, Sep 1 (IANS) The session of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly beginning from Monday will take up a total of seven bills. Three pending bills already referred to the Select Committee will be discussed, while three new bills recently cleared by the Cabinet will also be presented.

Additionally, the government will withdraw and reintroduce the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025, with amendments approved by the Cabinet on Sunday.

Bills with the Select Committee include the Rajasthan Coaching Centre (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, Rajasthan Groundwater (Conservation and Management) Authority Bill, 2025 and Land Revenue (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2025.

The Rajasthan Coaching Centre (Control and Regulation) Bill seeks to register, regulate, and monitor coaching centres across the state. It proposes minimum standards for registration, career guidance and psychological counselling for students, safety measures, and mechanisms to reduce stress among learners.

The Rajasthan Groundwater (Conservation and Management) Authority Bill, 2025, provides for the creation of a state authority headed by the Chief Secretary (or another senior official) to oversee groundwater conservation and management. It also empowers the authority to penalise negligence. This is the second time the bill has been referred to the Select Committee after earlier discussions highlighted the need for further review.

The Land Revenue (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2025, aims to legalise around 35 industrial areas and restore the rights of the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO). Once passed, RIICO will regain powers over land conversion, transfer, subdivision, and division in these areas. These powers had been curtailed after a Supreme Court order, rendering earlier transactions illegal.

The amendment will regularise past actions and re-establish RIICO’s authority. New Bills to be introduced include the Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). The government plans to upgrade the hospital attached to Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) into the Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Jaipur, modelled on AIIMS New Delhi. RIMS will function as a postgraduate-level medical institute, advancing super-speciality healthcare, research, and patient services. The State Cancer Institute under SMS Medical College will also be merged into RIMS. The Chief Secretary will serve as Chairman, while a Director will be appointed to head the institute.

The Rajasthan Fisheries (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes higher penalties for fisheries-related offences. The fine will be increased to Rs 25,000 for the first offence and up to Rs 50,000 for repeat offences, strengthening deterrence against illegal fishing practices.

By amending the Factories Act, 1948, the Factories (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2025, introduces significant changes to labour regulations.

It permits women to work night shifts and increases working limits, including daily work hours from 9 to 10 hours (within the 48-hour weekly cap), continuous work before rest from 5 to 6 hours and maximum permissible time at the workplace from 10.5 to 12 hours.

With these new and pending proposals, the session is expected to see major debates on education reforms, groundwater management, labour laws, industrial land regulation, and expansion of healthcare infrastructure.

--IANS

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