According to government figures

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, briefing the media, said the need to regulate surrogacy was felt as India had emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples. Any violation on their part will invite 10 years of imprisonment and fine upto Rs 10 lakhs," added Ms Swaraj. This is a comprehensive bill. In fact, policymakers read in detail the UK surrogacy law before giving the go-ahead to the proposed bill.The bill has a provision for a jail term upto 10 years and a Rs 10-lakh fine for violations, like abandoning the child and opting for commercial surrogacy. Besides this, the couples who already have a biological or an adopted child will not be allowed to have a second child via altruistic surrogacy.As first reported by this newspaper earlier, the Centre has decided to keep this substitute arrangement of renting a womb confined to kith, kin and friends. Ms Swaraj said the ban would be introduced 10 months after the bill is passed in Parliament in order to give appropriate time to pregnant women.With this, India joins the list of countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Mexico, Britain, Canada, Spain, France and the Philippines, where commercial surrogacy is banned.Significantly, a wedded couple seeking a surrogate child must have been married for at least five years, with the woman being between 23 and 50, and her husband being between 26 and 55 years, the bill declares.India on Wednesday completely banned commercial surrogacy, permitting only "altruistic surrogacy" for Indian infertile couples who have been married for at least five years. "The surrogacy clinics will have to keep records of the surrogate child for at least 25 years. Childless couples who are medically unfit to have children can http://www.bhsbearings.com/ tilt pad bearings take help from a close relative," she said. It is likely to be brought before Parliament in the coming Winter Session. Under the bill, the surrogate, who offers her womb for the purpose of bearing the child, will be able to do so only "once".

According to government figures, there are around 3,000 surrogacy clinics in India. "There was an issue of women’s health and about the rights of children born out of surrogacy that needed to be dealt with.The bill also seeks to set up national surrogacy board at the Central level under the chairmanship of the Union health minister, and similar boards will have to be set up in states and Union territories too to regulate surrogacy clinics.Limited only to married Indian couples; no foreigners allowed.

The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 seeking a ban on single parents, unmarried couples, live-in partners and homosexuals from opting for surrogacy was on Wednesday cleared by the Union Cabinet.. "The UK confines surrogacy only to blood relatives. These clinics will have to be registered once the law comes to force.The bill also makes it clear that the surrogate child will have equal rights in inheritance and other matters as the biological or adopted child. She should also be married and have borne a healthy child," the bill states.The bill totally prohibits commercial surrogacy, which includes banning foreigners from commissioning surrogacy in India, while also making it illegal for NRIs or Overseas Citizens of India. We have expanded it close relatives — which could be mother, aunt, etc," Ms Swaraj further added.