New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021 to provide for the constitution of a National Anti-Doping Agency to regulate anti-doping activities in sports and to give effect to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Convention against Doping in Sports. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur introduced the bill.
"Countries like US, China, Australia, Korea & Japan had already adopted Anti Doping Law. Now India will be among these countries to have its own anti-doping law and testing laboratories as well," said Thakur.
"National Anti-Doping Bill will boost India's reputation. The country will have special laws and anti-doping testing facilities. We need to widen the scope of doping investigations and increase the testing capacity of doping," the minister added.
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Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy spoke on the bill and said, "there is already NADA, now there will be a National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports, and a National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel with 15 members, which is too many. All these will make the anti-doping structure top-heavy."
The issue of the need to promote sports in India under Rule 193 and the steps taken by the Central Government in this regard was raised by Congress member Gaurav Gogoi on March 31.