Bill in LS to amend Chemical Weapons Convention Act

New Delhi: A bill to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Act which prohibits transfer of specified toxic chemicals from and to a country which is not party to the instrument was tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 13.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (Amendment) Bill, 2012, is part of an international obligation.

Minister of state for Chemicals and Fertilizes Srikant Jena tabled the bill amid pandemonium over violence in Mumbai.

The measure has already received the nod of the Rajya Sabha.

"No person shall transfer to, or receive from, a State which is not a party to the Convention, any toxic chemical....," the Bill reads.

The amendment seeks to widen its scope and confer upon the Central government the power also to appoint "any of its officers" as enforcement officer.

It also proposes exemption and threshold for registration of chemicals as may be prescribed by the government.

The Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000 allows the Centre to appoint officers of the National Authority to be enforcement officers.

The government has incorporated some of the recommendations of the Standing Committee to which the Bill was referred after being introduced in the Upper House in April 2010.

The Convention of Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and use of Chemical Weapons and on their destruction was signed by India at Paris in 1993 following which India enacted the legislation.

PTI