NEW DELHI: President Ramnath Kovind late on Wednesday gave his assent to promulgation of an ordinance, making acts of violence against doctors and other healthcare workers, fighting the covid-19 pandemic, a punishable offence with a prison term.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Union Cabinet had approved the ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, aimed at protecting healthcare personnel and their living/working premises from violence during epidemics.
The ordinance provides for making such acts of violence cognizable and non-bailable offences and for compensation of injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property in which healthcare service personnel may have a direct interest in times of an