The Ministry of State for Culture announced the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha dated 8 July 2019. The bill seeks to amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951. It provides for the assembly of a National Memorial in memory of those wounded or killed on 13 April 1919, in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. Also, it creates a trust to run the National Memorial.
Under the 1951 Act, the Trustees of the Memorial include:
- President of the Indian National Congress,
- The Prime Minister as Chairperson,
- Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha,
- Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab,
- Three well-known persons appointed by the central government.
- Minister in-charge of Culture
The Bill amends this provision to eliminate the President of the Indian National Congress as a Trustee. It also clarifies that when there is no Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the leader of the single largest opposition party will be the Trustee. The Act provides that the three trustees appointed by the central government will be trustees for a period of five years and will be eligible for re-appointment. The Bill permits the central government to end the term of an appointed trustee before the expiry of the period of his term without assigning any reason.
