1. Assam Govt introduces Assam Healing Practices Bill, 2024, targeting harmful practices.
2. Aimed at eradicating non-scientific healing methods in society.
3. Minister Pijush Hazarika presented the bill in the state assembly on behalf of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Guwahati, Feb 21: The Assam Government has presented the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, in the state legislative assembly, to eradicate harmful and non-scientific healing practices prevalent in society.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika introduced the bill on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The proposed legislation is designed to foster social awareness and establish a secure, science-based environment to safeguard public health from practices rooted in ignorance and detrimental to well-being.
Its primary goal is to abolish non-scientific healing methods exploited for malicious purposes, particularly against unsuspecting individuals.
Section 3 of the bill grants the government authority to prohibit evil or magical healing practices aimed at treating specific diseases and health conditions.
Moreover, Section 4 empowers the government to ban misleading advertisements promoting such practices.
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Key provisions of the bill include Section 5, which outlines penalties for engaging in or endorsing these practices. Violators may face imprisonment for up to one year, extendable to three years, or a fine of Rs 50,000, or both.
For repeat offenders, the punishment may escalate to imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both.
Additionally, Section 9 authorizes the government to designate police officers as Vigilance officers to monitor compliance.
Furthermore, Section 16 grants the government the authority to formulate rules for the effective implementation of the bill’s provisions.
