The BJP government in Rajasthan is set to introduce a bill in the upcoming Assembly session aimed at preventing forced religious conversions, announced Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel on Saturday. The bill, which was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bajanlal Sharma, stipulates that individuals wishing to convert to another religion must submit an application to the district magistrate at least 60 days in advance.
"The district magistrate will examine whether or not it is a forceful conversion," he said, adding if it is found that the conversion is not forced or under any temptation, then the applicant will be allowed to go ahead with it.
The state Parliamentary Affairs Minister announced, "The government has decided to introduce a bill in the upcoming Assembly session to prevent forceful religious conversions in the state. The bill includes provisions for punishment ranging from one year to 10 years, along with penalties for the forceful conversion of individuals or groups."
Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa added that nine policies, including a new MSME policy, one district-one product policy, tourism unit policy, mines policy, M-Sand policy, and an investment promotion scheme, were approved during the Cabinet meeting.