New Delhi, July 25 -- Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday tabled the amended National Anti-Doping Bill in the Lok Sabha with a view to provide greater "operational independence" to NADA as prescribed by the world body (WADA). Among the highlights of the Bill is the retention of the contentious National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports, albeit its powers have been curtailed. The Board will no longer have the NADA appeals panel under its jurisdiction as was the case in the original act passed in 2022. These provisions were flagged by WADA as signs of government interference. The amendments were imperative to ensure that India does not end up being suspended by WADA that has been keeping a close watch over NADA in recent years. The introduction of the amended bill comes shortly after India emerged as the top country in terms of total doping tests conducted in 2023 among nations that analysed 5,000 or more samples, according to WADA figures. In 2023, India's positivity rate stood at 3.8%, with 214 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) out of 5,606 samples tested. This marked an increase in both sample size and positivity rate compared to 2022, when 3,865 tests yielded a 3.2% positivity rate....