Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the National Anti-Doping Bill that seeks to offer a statutory framework for the running of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL). The bill was passed by a voice note besides some official amendments moved by the Centre. Addressing the Lower House of Parliament, Union sports minister Anurag Thakur said that several nations like the US and China already have its own anti-doping law, and now “India will be among these countries”.
Responding to debate on the bill, Thakur said that it aims at strengthening anti-doping activities in sports. “[It aims to give NADA powers of] investigation, levying sanctions for anti-doping rule violations, the disciplinary procedures to be adopted and the powers of inspection, sample collection and sharing and free flow of information,” he added.
Thakur further said that the Centre currently is testing as many as 6,000 samples a year, and the numbers will shoot up to 10,000 a month when India hosts big sporting events. “So we need to increase the number of testing laboratories as well,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}Thakur further said that the Centre currently is testing as many as 6,000 samples a year, and the numbers will shoot up to 10,000 a month when India hosts big sporting events. “So we need to increase the number of testing laboratories as well,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}The sports minister added that the bill will safeguard the interest and rights of sportspersons, and make India “self-reliant”.
Here are the salient features of the bill:
- Build institutional capabilities in anti-doping and enable hosting of major sports events
- Protect all sportspersons' rights
- Ensure time-bound justice to athletes
- Boost cooperation among agencies in battling doping in sports
- Reinforce India's commitment to international obligations for clean sports
- Independent mechanism for anti-doping adjudication
- Provide legal sanctity to National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) & National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL)
- Set up more dope testing laboratories
- Create job opportunities both, directly and indirectly
- Generate opportunities for academic research, science and manufacturing pertaining to anti-doping