Ahead of the winter session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, 'I hope members will spend their time in the House for the welfare of the people, not for themselves or their parties. The session is important; many issues of public importance will be taken up. I have faith that all the members of the Parliament will respect this sentiment and move ahead. Our efforts are that discussions are held on all issues'
New Delhi: The winter session of Parliament, which commenced on Tuesday, is likely to take up 45 bills. The session will have a total of 20 sittings and will end on January 8, 2019.
Before the start of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to all political parties to spend their time in the House for the welfare of the people and not for themselves.
"I hope members will spend their time in the House for the welfare of the people, not for themselves or their parties," Modi said.
“The session is important; many issues of public importance will be taken up. I have faith that all the members of the Parliament will respect this sentiment and move ahead. Our efforts are that discussions are held on all issues,” he added.
Also read: PM Modi's appeal for cooperation in winter session falls on opposition's deaf ears
During this year's monsoon session, 22 bills (21 in the Lok Sabha and 1 in Rajya Sabha) were introduced. The Lok Sabha passed 21 bills and while the Rajya Sabha passed 14 bills during the session. Twenty bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament. The productivity of Lok Sabha was 118% and Rajya Sabha's was 68%.
During the winter session of 2017 (from December 15 to January 5, 2018), 17 bills were introduced. The Lok Sabha passed 13 bills while the Rajya Sabha passed nine. In all, 13 bills were passed by both Houses of the Parliament. The productivity of Lok Sabha was 91.58% and it was 56.29% in the Rajya Sabha.
The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017
The bill which will extend the facility of 'proxy voting' to overseas Indians, on the lines of service voters, was passed by the Lok Sabha, on August 10 during the monsoon session. This is now pending in the Rajya Sabha.
The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018
This will provide a comprehensive legislation to deal with the menace of illicit deposit schemes in the country.
The Bill contains a substantive banning clause which bans Deposit Takers from promoting, operating, issuing advertisements or accepting deposits in any Unregulated Deposit Scheme. The principle is that the Bill would ban unregulated deposit taking activities altogether, by making them an offence ex-ante, rather than the existing legislative-cum-regulatory framework which only comes into effect ex-post with considerable time lags.
The National Medical Commission Bill, 2017
The bill seeks to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new Commission to steer medical education in the country.
Earlier this year, the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, approved certain amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017
On April 10, 2017, the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. It is pending in the Rajya Sabha. The new bill will take into account taxi aggregators, motor vehicle insurance and will address road safety issues and others.
The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018
This is likely to be introduced to replace an ordinance bringing about amendments to the Companies Act, 2013.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018
This is being introduced to replace an ordinance. It aims to declaration of instant 'triple talaq' illegal and void. Once this bill is passed, The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, will be withdrawn.
Ram temple bill
BJP leader and MP Rakesh Sinha is likely to introduce a private member's bill in Parliament seeking the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Women's Reservation Bill
The bill proposes 33% reservation for women in all Lok Sabha seats and also in state Assemblies. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but the Lok Sabha did not vote on it.
(With inputs from agencies)
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