Winter Session sees record performance in terms of legislative business transacted in Parliament

The ongoing session of Parliament is set for a record performance in terms of legislative business transacted in both the Houses of Parliament. While the Lok Sabha has already passed 13 Bills in the first three weeks of the session ending on December 12, 2014, the Rajya Sabha has cleared nine of them. 

Rajya Sabha is still to take up four Bills passed by the Lower House viz., The Appropriation Bill,2014, Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014,The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 and The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014.

The legislative business transacted during the 15 sittings of the current winter session so far and the Bills likely to be taken up during the remainder of the session consisting of 7 sittings will surpass by a wide margin the 12 Bills passed during the Budget session this year.

The fourth week of winter session of Parliament beginning today assumes importance with the Government proposing to move reform oriented Bills like The  Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008  and The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 to be taken up for consideration and passing in both the Houses of Parliament. While the Insurance Bill seeks to enhance FDI limit in the capital starved insurance sector, the Companies Bill aims at enhancing the ease of doing business. The Lok Pal and Lok Ayuktas (Amendment) Bill, 2014 is also proposed to be taken in both the Houses.

 In addition, the Bills proposed by the Government for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha during the remainder of the session include:  The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014, The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014,The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Bill, 2014, The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010  and The Warehousing Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2014.

In addition to the four Bills to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha as passed by the Lower House mentioned above, the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha has also allocated time for consideration of The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010 and The Public Premises Bill, 2014. Time has also been allocated for taking up two motions in Rajya Sabha relating to annulment and modification of the central government’s notification of December 2, 2014 seeking to increase the Basic Excise Duty on petrol and diesel.

DELHI DURBAR : SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM LUTYENS' DELHI

Delhi

Opposition parties have made repeated jibes at Prime Minister Modi over his foreign visits. The Congress has even alleged that since taking power in May, PM Modi has spent only one of every six days in India.

In this background, Kerala Law Review though it fit to compile a collection of jibes made by Opposition leaders at PM Modi, inside and outside the Parliament. All in good spirit though!

Here is a sampling of the choicest of the lot : 

(Lalu Prasad Yadav)

"He is not the Prime Minister of the country anymore, he has become an NRI and the media is portraying that Modi's popularity is booming abroad when there is trouble at our borders," Lalu Prasad takes a dig at the PM during his 'rockstar' trip to Australia

Mallikarjun Kharge

"It is a privilege that the Prime Minister is present in the House today", Leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge  took a swipe at PM Modi when he was seen in the Lok Sabha today

"Forget bringing back black money from abroad. Please bring back our PM first," CPM's Sitaram Yechury too chipped in.

Not to be left behind, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien had a go at the PM as well : "Please grant a visa to the Prime Minister of India to come to the Rajya Sabha", he sneered.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu was however dismissive of the criticism voiced by the opposition parties.

He hit back at the opposition : "Where is the absence? Does Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress leader) sit in the assembly from morning to evening? Some people are saying he's always abroad, when will he be back. Is this some joke?"

"If needed the PM will speak, when it's his turn during the question hour he will be there. The PM is doing his job, the people are happy, only the opposition is unhappy, what can we do?", Naidu said hinting that except for the Opposition the people were happy with the PM doing his job.

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The opposition parties are plainly jealous of PM Modi's sky-high popularity, aren't they? What do you think?

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'Delhi Durbar : Sights and Sounds from Lutyen's Delhi' is a humorous account of events that have transpired in the corridors of power in Delhi.

Parliament Updates: Legislative business of Parliament in the Winter Session

15 legislative Bills currently pending in Parliament are listed for consideration and passing in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.  17 Bills are listed for introduction, consideration and passing of which three will be taken up for consideration and passing during the session. 5 Bills have been listed for withdrawal in this session. 

• Bills listed for introduction: 

The Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2014\

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2014
The Biomedical and Health Research Regulation Bill, 2014
The Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill, 2014
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The National Cooperative Development Corporation Amendment Bill, 2014 
The Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014 
The Re-adjustment of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies (Fourth) Bill, 2014
The Recognition of New Systems of Medicine Bill, 2014
The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014  
The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 
The School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014 
The Warehousing Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2014 

 

• Bills listed for Introduction, Consideration and Passing:

The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 

The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014 
The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014 

•  Bills listed for Consideration and Passing :

The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2014

The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2014 
The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill, 2011 
The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008
The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2014 
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Repeal) Bill, 2012
The Rajasthan Legislative Council Bill, 2013
The Assam Legislative Council Bill, 2013

The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013

The Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013

The Delhi Hotels (Controlling of Accommodation) (Repeal) Bill, 2014

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 

 

• Bills listed for withdrawal:

The Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011   

The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2005 

The Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy Pharmacy Bill, 2005   

The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2005 

The Re-adjustment of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies (Third) Bill, 2013

( Courtesy : PRS Legislative Research ) 

Modi Government to kickstart labour reforms; 2 key Bills likely to be introduced in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday

The winter session of Parliament that commenced on November 24 and is expected to continue until December 23 has 22 working days and a packed legislative business to transact.

Some 37 bills are up for introduction and passage ranging from labour reforms to the passage of the long-delayed goods and services tax and insurance reforms. 

Among these bills to be introduced in the winter session of Parliament , the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill and the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill were scheduled to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, but likely to be taken up for consideration only on Tuesday as both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day after obituary references. 

The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill seeks to amend the principal Act, namely the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1988 by widening the ambit of the principal Act to more establishments and adding more laws from the purview of which the establishments are exempted. The Bill amends the definition of 'small establishment' to cover establishment that employ between 10 and 40 employees. While the principal Act provided for the employer having to file returns and maintain registers at the workplace in a specified format, the amendment sought to be made now provides that the employer may maintain the returns filed and registers maintained on a computer, computer disk or other electronic media, print-outs of which will have to be made available to the Inspector on demand or sent to the inspector by electronic mail. Further, in what is seen as a watering down of the stringent provisions of the Act, the Bill amends the list of Acts which exempt the small establishments thereunder from maintaining registers and filing returns and adds seven more to the list. The salient features of the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill can be read here

The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 sets the minimum age of apprenticeship in designated trades related to hazardous industries as 18 years. Among the more controversial provisions of  the Bill, is the proposed amendment that leaves the hours of work and leave for apprentices at the discretion or policy of the employer.The highlights of the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 which seeks to amend the Apprentices Act, 1961 can be read here .