 "Aadhaar Bill discussion in Lok Sabha from tomorrow")
The government has planned a heavy financial and legislative agenda for the week. Parliament convenes on Tuesday, with Monday being a holiday for Shivaratri. There are only seven working days before Parliament goes into a month's recess, on March 17.
Read more from our special coverage on "AADHAAR BILL"
The government wants to take up 12 Bills, seven in the Lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha. On Friday, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the Rajya Sabha they'd also like to see progress on the pending Real Estate (Development & Regulation) Bill. However, passage of this and the constitutional amendment on a national goods and services tax (GST) won't happen in that House, where the ruling alliance is in a minority, if opposition parties don't go along.
The Congress party wants amendments in the GST Bill and this is likely to be taken up in the Rajya Sabha only after Parliament reconvenes after the recess, on April 25.
This lack of numbers in the Rajya Sabha is also why the government has said it is classifying the proposed Aadhaar law as a money Bill. The latter need only be passed by the Lok Sabha for enactment. The House is slated to take it up on Tuesday and the Congress has already said it will contest the classification, noting it is similar to the one introduced during its government in end-2010, as a non-money Bill.
By the rule, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will decide if a Bill can be classified as a money one or not.
During the first two weeks of the ongoing session, both Houses passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, giving voting rights to people who became Indian citizens after the exchange of border areas between India and Bangladesh. The Rajya Sabha passed two Bills earlier passed by the Lok Sabha -- the High Court and Supreme Court (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill and the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill.
The Houses also discussed the controversial happenings at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and the University of Hyderabad. The Rajya Sabha also took up two calling attention motions on alleged breakdown of law and order in Delhi and the comments against minorities attributed to minister of state for human resource development Ram Shankar Katheria.
The Lok Sabha adopted a motion of thanks to the President for his address to both Houses at a joint sitting; discussion on this is in progress in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition leader in the latter, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has said they're likely to push for an amendment to the official motion.
BILLS LIKELY TO BE TAKEN UP IN LS
- Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Bill, 2016, to replace an Ordinance
- Two Appropriation Bills relating to Demands for Grants on Account (Railways) for 2016-17 and Supplementary Demands for Grants (Railways) for 2015-16, on conclusion of ongoing discussion
- Two Appropriation Bills relating to Demands for Grants on Account (General) for 2016-17 and Supplementary Demands for Grants (General) for 2015-16 (after initiation and conclusion of discussion)
- Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016
- Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016
BILLS LIKELY TO BE TAKEN UP IN RS
- Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015, as passed by the LS
- National Waterways Bill, 2016, as passed by the LS
- Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, as passed by the LS
- Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012