MV Act changes on the anvil to make guidelines mandatory for states
The move aims to address the current legal ambiguity arising from the concurrent nature of legislation on motor vehicles, where both the Centre and states have law-making powers. Officials say delays or inaction by some states on critical reforms create a legal vacuum, hampering the uniform implementation of road safety and transport policies.
'If states don't act on certain matters, important reforms are left out. The idea is to avoid a situation where nothing moves forward due to jurisdictional gaps,' a source said, adding that discussions are underway and the final proposal is likely to be taken up soon.
The proposed changes would make select Central guidelines mandatory, particularly those related to road safety, vehicle regulation, and transport policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
5 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Why age of consent laws need a nuanced rethink
Across India, there is a growing dissonance between the spirit of child protection laws and their real-world consequences, particularly when the setting of adolescent relationships is considered. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, enacted in 2012 to shield minors from sexual exploitation, sets the age of consent at 18. While this offers a clear safeguard in theory, it has often become a tool for families to penalise relationships that cross lines of caste, community, or gender norms. What began as a shield has, in many instances, turned into a sword. Romantic love is reframed as rape. Adolescence becomes another battleground for families to reassert control — often at the cost of the boy's future and the girl's agency. This legal rigidity ignores the rapidly changing world adolescents inhabit. Teenagers today grow up in a hyper-connected environment — exposed early to sexual content, peer influence, and evolving norms around intimacy. Public displays of affection no longer scandalise the urban middle class. Smartphones, dating apps, and social media shape adolescents' understanding of love and identity. Yet, our laws pretend that teenage desire does not exist — or worse, that it must be punished. The real issue lies in POCSO's failure to account for context. It makes no distinction between an exploitative relationship and a consensual one between two teenagers. A 17-year-old in love is treated the same as a 45-year-old predator. The fallout is harsh — boys branded as rapists face shattered futures, and girls lose their voice in decisions about their own bodies. Many countries have grappled with this complexity more pragmatically. Canada allows consensual sex at 16, or even 14–15 if the partner is within five years of age. Germany permits consensual sex from age 14, provided there's no coercion and the partner is under 21. These 'close-in-age' exemptions protect against abuse while recognising adolescent sexuality as a part of growing up. At the other end are countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where all sex outside marriage is criminalised. While seemingly strict, such systems often leave girls grappling with increased vulnerability — trapped in child marriages with no protection against non-consensual marital sex. India stands at a contradictory crossroads. We criminalise all sex with those under 18 — even within marriage, post a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2017. Yet, according to NFHS-5, over 23% of Indian women aged 20–24 were married before 18. These girls, often pushed into early marital sex, rarely find legal redress. The law steps in only when a girl elopes, not when she is quietly married off at 15. This contradiction reveals a deeper hypocrisy. Our laws are less about protecting children and more about preserving family honour. When girls choose partners outside accepted norms, the law becomes punitive. When families arrange early marriages, society looks away. This is the uncomfortable truth the current Supreme Court debate is beginning to confront. While the Centre defends the 18-year threshold, the Court has raised crucial questions: Should teenagers be jailed for exploring love? Could comprehensive sex education be a better response than prosecution? The answer lies not in lowering the age of consent indiscriminately, but in crafting a more nuanced legal framework. One that protects without criminalising, and recognises that teenage sexuality cannot be erased through denial or fear. Such a framework could include close-in-age exemptions for consensual relationships between 16–18-year-olds, judicial discretion to assess the nature and context of each case, mandatory sex education to empower young people with knowledge about consent, boundaries, and safety, unambiguous criminalisation of child marriage, with no exceptions for marital sex. Ultimately, this is not just a legal issue — it's a cultural reckoning. It forces us to confront our discomfort with adolescent agency, our refusal to talk openly about sex, and our tendency to confuse control with care. Laws alone cannot protect young people. True protection lies in equipping them to make informed choices. A just society does not fear its youth — it listens to them. AL Sharada is trustee, Population First. The views expressed are personal.
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Island residents in Ernakulam left waiting for CRZ nod
Kochi: Island panchayats in Ernakulam district cannot proceed with new construction activities as the state govt has failed to submit integrated island management plans (IIMPs) to the Centre, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has informed the Lok Sabha. As per the CRZ Notification, 2019, implementation of an IIMP is mandatory for construction to proceed on island regions. Singh clarified that IIMPs are prepared according to the CRZ notification, 2019 and the Centre approves them only after detailed proposals are submitted by the state. However, no IIMP project proposals have been submitted by the Kerala govt, he stated. The minister was answering questions from the MP regarding the the inclusion of 13 previously excluded panchayats in Ernakulam under the CRZ-II category. These include Alangad, Chendamangalam, Chittattukara, Ezhikkara, Kadungallur, Karumaloor, Kottuvally, Kunnukara, Puthanvelikara, Udayamperoor, Vadakkekkara, Kuzhippilly, Pallippuram and Edavanakadu. Hibi Eden noted that the wait has been long for residents, particularly the island fisherfolk and coastal communities, to benefit from the construction relaxations under the 2019 CRZ Notification. The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), which reflects the new CRZ norms, was approved in Oct 2024, after much delay. "Even with the approval of this Coastal Zone Management Plan in Oct 2024, the key benefit of CRZ 2019 for coastal communities, including island fishermen, remains unrealized," stated the MP. "The concession, allowing construction beyond 20 meters from the water body boundary, hasn't been granted to eligible applicants because the IIMP, which was supposed to be released alongside the coastal zone management plan, is still not ready." He urged the state government to act swiftly to prepare and submit the IIMPs so that eligible coastal communities can finally access their long-promised development rights.
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt tables Rs 2,356 cr supplementary Budget in state assembly
Bhopal: The state govt on Tuesday tabled the first supplementary Budget for the financial year 2025–26, proposing an outlay of Rs 2,356.80 crore. Of this, Rs 1,003.99 crore falls under the revenue head and Rs 1,352.81 crore under the capital head. The allocation is significantly lower than last year's first supplementary Budget of Rs 22,460.18 crore. Officials attributed the reduced size to the adoption of zero-based budgeting, a budgeting technique wherein all expenses need to be justified for a new period or year starting from zero. Among the major allocations, the health and family welfare department will receive Rs 1,602.30 crore in grants under the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations. The home department has been earmarked Rs 62.20 crore for centralised police call centres and control rooms, Rs 57 crore for crime and criminal tracking systems, and Rs 5 crore for reimbursement of police expenditure shared with the Centre and states. The revenue department was allocated Rs 88.72 cr from the National Disaster Response Fund, while Rs 9.85 crore was proposed for adjustments related to reserved funds and deposit accounts (10% state share). The urban development and housing department has been allocated Rs 142 cr for the construction of Unity Mall. An additional Rs 20 crore was proposed as grants to development authorities, and Rs 9.51 cr under the Cities 2.0 Component 2 (State Action). The public works department has been allocated Rs 50 cr for the construction of new bridges and Rs 40 cr for the major projects. A further Rs 10 cr earmarked for road projects funded by the NDB. The department of technical education, skill development and employment has been allocated Rs 113.15 cr for supporting private technical colleges and institutions, while the SC welfare dept has been allocated Rs 30 cr under the PM-AJAY scheme. The TOI has reported on July 25 that the first supplementary Budget would be of less than Rs 5,000 crore, and would be much lesser in comparison to previous year's supplementary Budget.
