The 2016 Budget Session of Parliament started on Tuesday with President Pranab Mukherjee's address to the joint session of both Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament. This session is epected to be rocky ahead as the opposition is likely to rake up the Jawaharlal Nehru University incident at the proceedings.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu will present the Rail Budget on Feb. 25, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the General budget on Feb. 29. The pre-budget economic survey will be presented on Feb. 26.
The central government has planned to table 12 bills for consideration and passing, and four bills, including the Finance Bill, 2016, for introduction, consideration and passing. It has also planned to introduce two new bills and withdraw two others, including the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
However, the productivity of the session will depend on the opposition, including Congress, which will bring up the issue of police crackdown at JNU campus following an event organised by JNU students' union (JNUSU) against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and the arrest of its leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges.
The government said it wil discuss both the JNU incident and alleged suicide of Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula of Hyderabad University on Feb. 25, after the Rail Budget is presented, IBN Live reports.
The list of bills to be tabled in Parliament
Bills for consideration and passing
- The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) BilI, 2013
- The Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014
- The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014
- The Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Repealing and Amending (Third) Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The National Waterways Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
- The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 (Passed by Lok Sabha, pending in Rajya Sabha)
Bills for introduction, consideration and passing
- The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016 – Replaces an Ordinance
- The Finance Bill, 2016
- The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016
- The Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016
New bills
- The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016
- The Indian Institute of Management Bill, 2016
Bills to be withdrawn
- The Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2014
- The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Source: PRS Legislative Research
