Winter session of Parliament could see discussion on 67 Bills - Livemint

Analysts expect the session to see the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA move up a gear, with no major elections (barring those in Jammu & Kashmir) due till the end of next year. Photo: Hindustan Times

New Delhi: The government on Monday proposed that the winter session of Parliament begin on 24 November and last for a month—a crucial period that could present lawmakers with a packed agenda of 67 Bills awaiting passage.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed Members of Parliament (MPs) of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the various programmes of the union government, the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs (CCPA) met on Monday and recommended to the President that the winter session of the Parliament start on 24 November and continue until 23 December.

The committee, headed by union home minister Rajnath Singh , suggested a total of 22 sittings in the session during the course of which the government will try to pass 67 Bills—eight pending in the Lok Sabha and 59 in the Rajya Sabha.

Senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the NDA government, said the government’s priorities are the passage of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to raise the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance to 49%, and the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill.

Another priority is legislation aimed at introducing labour reforms through amendments in the Factories Act, Apprentices Act and Labour Laws (exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Act.

“Fortunately the last parliament session functioned well. We hope the Parliament will not be disrupted because the government has to get the economy going. The government will definitely want the Insurance Bill to be passed,” said Naresh Gujral , a senior leader of the NDA.

“I am a member of the select committee of Rajya Sabha, and we will meet the deadline. The government wants to allow 49% foreign direct investment in the insurance sector. The finance minister has already said that certain changes are needed in the Land Acquisition Bill. We are confident that these changes will not hurt the farmers and it will make acquisition of land easier. The government wants to promote manufacturing sector and generate employment,” he added.

The month-long session is expected to take up the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, which was sent to the select committee in the previous budget session as well as revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, which has been delayed due to lack of consensus among the states.

The Congress party, the largest among the opposition, said it will take up a series of issues in the session and promised minimum disruptions to proceedings.

“We will perform the role of a responsible opposition constantly holding the government accountable with minimum disruptions, unlike when the BJP was in opposition,” Abhishek Manu Singhvi , party spokesperson and member of the Rajya Sabha, said.

“We will ask (during the session) what happened to lakhs and crores of money which was to be repatriated within 100 days. We will ask why communal incidents happened before elections. We will seek to restore the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act) to its old glory,” Singhvi added.

After daily opposition disruptions in proceedings during the last United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the previous session of Parliament in July-August this year was a productive one in terms of actual hours of sittings, business transacted and debates.

According to a report by the PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha’s productivity in the budget session was 104%, while the Rajya Sabha was at 99%.

Political analysts believe that even though the dates of the winter session coincide with those for assembly elections in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, they will not affect the functioning of Parliament.

“This session is very critical for the ruling NDA. The new image that the Prime Minister has acquired and the new hope that he has generated within and outside—for all this the government needs to pass Bills like Land Acquisition and the Insurance Amendment. In my opinion, it is going to be a productive session. The government has found a new determination and confidence with its recent electoral performance, and it should be able to push through its reform legislation. A few leaders may be out campaigning, but I do not think that overall it will affect the functioning of this session,” said N. Bhaskara Rao , a New Delhi-based political analyst.

Jammu and Kashmir, and Jharkhand go to polls in five phases on 25 November, 2 December, 9 December, 14 December and 20 December, with counting set for 23 December—the last day of the winter session.

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