The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act to make divorce with mutual consent more women friendly. In a significant change in matrimonial laws, the cabinet approved the amendment to include allowing the courts to reduce or waive off the waiting period of six months for divorce by mutual consent.
The cabinet also approved the provision to ensure that women get a share in property acquired during the marriage. The government has accepted the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice that women have a share in the property of the husband in the case of a divorce but the quantum of share will be decided by courts on a case by case basis.
Apart from giving women the right to their husband's property, the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, also aims at giving rights to adopted children at par with biological off-springs in case the parents go for a divorce.
The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha two years ago and was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel.
The Cabinet also pproved a seven percentage point increase in dearness allowance to its employees. The decision, was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The new DA rate of 65 per cent of basic pay against 58 per cent earlier will be applicable from First January 2012 .It will benefit about 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensioners.
In yet another decision, the Union Cabinet approved the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster for payment of ex-gratia to additional 9000 cases of Cancer and total Renal Failure among the Bhopal Gas Victims.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the establishment of the Credit Risk Guarantee Fund Trust (CRGFT) for Low Income Housing.
The Trust will have an initial corpus of 1200 crore Rupees of which 1000 crore Rupees is being contributed from the Centre and the remaining 200 core will come from the State Governments who draw on it, in accordance with their slum populations.
