Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025:Lok Sabha Gets New Labor Push

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This is a packed session in the Lok Sabha, showing a real push for legislative change on labor rights, social issues, and education. The key proposal here is the radical shift in workplace norms.

Here are the field notes on the most significant Private Member’s Bills introduced:

Also Read | Lost Passport? Guide to Re-issue, FIR, and Annexure L

Lok Sabha Bills: The Push for Rights

A wave of Private Member’s Bills was introduced, showing strong initiative from non-government MPs to force debate on issues that directly affect daily life, even though most of these bills rarely become law.

1.  The “Right to Disconnect” (The Workplace Revolution)

• Bill Name: Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025

• Introduced By: NCP MP Supriya Sule.

• Core Proposal: This is the big one. It proposes granting every employee the right to disconnect from work-related calls and emails beyond official work hours and on holidays.

• The Mandate: It includes provisions allowing employees to explicitly refuse to respond to such communications.

• The Structure: The bill seeks to establish an Employees’ Welfare Authority to oversee this right.

The culture of being “always on” is hitting a breaking point. This bill is a direct challenge to the always-available, 24/7 corporate mindset. X happened in the work environment. And then this bill followed.

2.  The Menstrual Benefits Push (Labor & Health)

Two separate bills were introduced on menstrual rights, showing bipartisan political interest in the issue.

• Menstrual Benefits Bill, 2024: Introduced by Congress MP Kadiyam Kavya. This aims to create a legal framework ensuring specific workplace facilities and support for women during menstruation.

• Paid Leave & Hygiene: LJP MP Shambhavi Choudhary introduced separate legislation pushing for paid menstrual leave for both working women and female students, alongside guaranteed access to menstrual hygiene facilities and health benefits.

Also Read | Lost Passport? Guide to Re-issue, FIR, and Annexure L

3.  NEET Exemption (Education & Federalism)

• Core Proposal: Congress MP Manickam Tagore introduced a bill to exempt Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions.

• Context: This is a highly sensitive state-vs-center issue. The Tamil Nadu government is already fighting this refusal in the Supreme Court after the President refused to grant assent to their own state law seeking the exemption last month.

4. Death Penalty Abolition (Justice System)

• Core Proposal: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi introduced a bill to abolish the death penalty in India.

• Historical Context: While central governments usually argue the death penalty is needed as a deterrent, nearly a decade ago, the Law Commission recommended phasing it out, retaining it only for terror-related cases.

5. 📰 Journalist Protection (Press Freedom)

• Bill Name: Journalist (Prevention of Violence and Protection) Bill, 2024

• Core Proposal: Introduced by Independent MP Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil, the bill seeks to prevent violence against journalists and provide protection for them and their property.

Also Read | Lost Passport? Guide to Re-issue, FIR, and Annexure L

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