 "Budget Session 2016: JNU, GST and more await NDA government")
The Budget session of Parliament starts later today, but by all accounts, the government will have a vexing time, given the Opposition's continuing blocking of some Bills, not to mention the national brouhaha over the JNU affair.
The government on Monday said it has prioritised 32 business items for the Budget session. The agenda for legislation includes 12 Bills for consideration and passing. Additionally, four Bills, including the Finance Bill, 2016, are listed for introduction, consideration and passing. The government plans to introduce two new Bills. Also, two Bills will be withdrawn.
The session will have a recess from March 17 to April 24, when the Standing Committees will examine the demand for grants of various ministries. There will be a total of 31 sittings in the current session.
The Opposition, for its part, on Monday accused the government of "setting the agenda for disruption" despite the latter reaching out to it and expressing readiness to discuss all issues including the JNU row.
The first showdown between the Ruling and the Opposition benches is expected in the Rajya Sabha (RS) on February 24, the first working day of the session when the JNU issue could come up for discussion.
The government is also under pressure to get the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill passed, which has been blocked for the past two sessions in the Upper House, where the NDA does not have a majority. In what could be a portent of the Bill’s fate this session, the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha (LS) Mallikarjun Kharge said after an all-party meeting on Monday: "Contentious Bills should not be brought. Bring only those Bills on which there is a general agreement. Bills like GST will not come in the first half of the session."
Here are the key Bills listed for listed for this session of Parliament:
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1) The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014: The Bill gives concurrent taxation powers to the Centre and states to levy a goods and services tax, and creates a goods and services tax council. The Bill has already been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
2) The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) BilI, 2013: The Bill regulates transactions between buyers and promoters of real estate projects and sets up state level regulatory authorities to regulate the sector. The Standing Committee submitted its report on the Bill on 13 February, 2014, and the RS Select Committee submitted its report on 30 July, 2015.
3) The Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014: The Bill modifies the composition of the selection committee to include the leader of the single largest opposition party in the LS and the manner of declaration of assets of public servants. The Standing Committee submitted its report on the Bill on 7 December, 2015.
4) The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014: The Bill replaces the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982. It defines hijacking and awards death penalty for the crime of hijacking in certain cases. The Standing Committee submitted its report in this regard on 11 March, 2015.
5) The Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015: The amendment Bill prohibits reporting of corruption related complaints that fall under 10 specified categories. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
6) The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015: This amendment seeks to ensure uniformity in pensions and other conditions of service of Supreme Court and High Court judges. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
7) The Repealing and Amending (Third) Bill, 2015: The amendment repeals 295 Acts, including over 20 Acts that were passed prior to 1947, which have ceased to be in force, and amends two Acts - the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and the Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Act, 2014. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
8) The Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2015: The Bill seeks to repeal 758 Appropriation Acts. The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill states that these laws have ceased to be in force after one year of their enactment, and are hence obsolete, including Appropriation Acts for the railways passed during the period of 1950-2012 and 111 state appropriation acts enacted by Parliament during 1950 to 1976. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
9) The Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015: The Bill excludes production of alcohol for potable purposes from the ambit of the Act. In its January 20, 1997, judgement in the 'Bihar Distillery and another vs. Union of India and others' case, the Supreme Court of India demarcated the regulation of production of alcohol between the Centre and states. The court ruled that Centre should regulate the production of alcohol for industrial use and states should regulate the production of alcohol for potable purpose (domestic consumption). The Bill conforms to the Supreme Court’s decision. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
10) The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015: The Bill replaces the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986. The objective of the Bill is to establish the Bureau of Indian Standards as the national standards body in the country and addresses mandatory standardisation of products. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
11) The National Waterways Bill, 2015: The Bill replaces the five existing national waterways laws and identifies additional 101 waterways as national waterways. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
12) The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015: The Bill allows the central government to revise liability limits of air carriers for compensation related to death, injury, and loss of baggage. The Bill has been passed by the LS and is pending in the RS.
Bills listed for listed for introduction, consideration and passing:
1) The Finance Bill, 2016: It authorises expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India and contains tax proposals of the government.
2) The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016: The Bill seeks to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968, and the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. Its key objective is to expand the powers of the central government to allow for permanent vesting of enemy property with retrospective application.
3) The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016: The Bill seeks to amend the Delimitation Act, 2002, and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to permit the Election Commission to hold a delimitation exercise in West Bengal, to give voting rights to Indian citizens following the exchange of enclaves with Bangladesh.
4) The Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016: The Bill will give effect to the agreement entered into by the central government with UNESCO in 2006 to establish the Regional Centre for Biotechnology. It seeks to Confer upon the Regional Centre the status of an institution of national importance.
Bills listed for Introduction:
1) The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016
2) The Indian Institute of Management Bill, 2016
Bills listed for withdrawal:
1) The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015: This Bill has been passed in the LS and is pending in the RS. Prime Minister Modi initially passed ordinances before the law could be passed by Parliament, but that shows little sign of happening.
2) The Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2014