Insurance, Coal, Mines among key bills passed (With - Budget session: Bills passed on five of six ordinances-Roundup)

Some of the important bills passed by parliament in the budget session which went into recess on Friday.

* The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill: The bill replaces an ordinance that was promulgated during the inter-session period. It hikes the foreign equity cap on domestic insurance companies from 26 percent to 49 percent.

* The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment) Bill, 2015: The bill requires every person to obtain a license or lease for carrying on mining or related activities. It provides for two methods of granting a mineral concession - competitive bidding where mineralisation is established and first-come-first-serve otherwise.

* The Coal Mines Bill 2015: The bill allows private companies to produce coal, after about four decades of these firms being left out of this segment.

* The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015: It brings e-carts and e-rickshaws under ambit of the parent Act, so they can ply on roads across the country. The bill defines e-carts and e-rickshaws as special purpose battery powered vehicles with power up to 4,000 watts and having three wheels. It mentions that these vehicles can be used for carrying goods or passengers.

* The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015: This bill brings parity between provisions for Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders.

* The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill: It amends the constitution to include certain castes under the list of scheduled castes.

* The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014: It aims to provide for speedy machinery for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from public premises. The bill was amended following Supreme Court directions.

* The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2015: This bill provides for raising the number of members of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council from 50 to 58.