Finance Bill sails through

FM Arun Jaitley hopes the Upper House will pass the GST Bill in Monsoon session

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Finance Bill, and hence the Budget, for 2016-17. In his reply, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressed hope that the Upper House would pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill in the Monsoon session.

He questioned the Congress' opposition to the Bill, sought its help to either pass it or at least allow the House to pass the Bill. The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debt Loss and Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Bill was referred to a joint committee of the two Houses.

The Lok Sabha session ended on Wednesday, two days before its scheduled closure, while the Rajya Sabha is scheduled to end after farewell speeches of 53 retiring members on Thursday. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan commended members for ensuring that the session wasn't adjourned because of disruptions even for a minute - a first for the 16th Lok Sabha.