The Draft Bill having provision for establishment of DNA Data Banks both at the National and State level was circulated to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Police Research & Development, Central Bureau of Investigation, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Defence, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law & Justice, Directorate of Forensic Science. The comments have been obtained. The Draft Bill is being sent to all the States for their comments.

The comments received from the various Ministries/Departments have inter alia referred to the scope of the Draft Bill; provisions for confidentiality of information and penalties for misuse or abuse thereof; size, composition and tenure of members of the DNA Profiling Board, its powers and functions and administrative support therefore; data sharing between the National and State DNA Data Banks, approval norms for DNA Profiling laboratories; and procedures for expungement of records from the Data Bank.

Since the finalization of Draft Bill involves further consultation with the State Governments followed by Cabinet approval etc., no specific time frame can be indicated at this stage.

This was stated by Shri Prithviraj Chavan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : April 29, 2010