NEW DELHI: The NDA government has cleared the consideration of a private member’s bill that seeks to grant every citizen the right to free internet access while ensuring equal access to people from backward and remote regions of the country.
“No citizen shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges that may prevent him or her from accessing internet facilities,” the bill has proposed.
It was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by CPM member V Sivadasan in December 2023. According to a bulletin issued by the Upper House, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has communicated to the Rajya Sabha secretary-general that the President has recommended the consideration of the bill to the House.
As the rule stands, the private members’ bills involving expenditure from the exchequer require the President’s permission through the ministry concerned on whether such bills can be considered by the House.