First time in Indian
Legislative history, Parliament completes all financial business of Government
by 31stMarch
Passing of all the
enabling acts of the Goods & Services Tax with wide consensus a great
achievement: Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Both Houses of Parliament
sit overtime to compensate for interruptions in Transaction of Business
Productivity of Lok Sabha
113.27% and of Rajya Sabha 92.43%; 18 Bills passed by both
Houses of Parliament during the Session
The Budget Session 2017 has been
historic in many ways, said Shri Ananthkumar, Union Minister for Parliamentary
Affairs and Chemicals & fertilizers, while addressing the media here today. The Minister informed that the Budget Session, 2017 of
Parliament which commenced on Tuesday, 31st January, 2017 has been adjourned
sine die today ie. Wednesday, the 12th April, 2017.
Shri Ananthkumar noted that three
main highlights of the Budget Session, 2017, that are historic achievements are
·
Preponing of the Union
Budget and completion of all financial business of Government before the start
of next financial year by 31stMarch;
·
Passing of all the
enabling acts of the Goods & Services Tax (GST);
·
Presenting and passing
of an Integrated Budget.
This has been possible due to the
visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Finance Minister
Shri Arun Jaitley along with the participation of all members of both Houses of
Parliament in constructive debates held on various issues of public importance,
the Minister added.
Shri Ananthkumar informed that this
is for the first time in Indian legislative history that all financial business
of Government has been completed before the start of next financial year by 31stMarch
and that too without any short cuts by following due process of general
discussion, scrutiny by Standing Committees, discussions on some individual
Ministries etc. Whenever in the past
financial business was completed before 31stMarch, those were either
election years having interim budgets or in other cases scrutiny by
Parliamentary Committees was dispensed with. This is a big
financial reform so as to make full funds available to line Ministries for
execution of their developmental projects. This is the
first time when Vote on Account was dispensed with during the Budget session.
Speaking on the occasion Shri S.S. Ahluwalia, Minister of State for
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs, explained in
detail about the advantages of preponing the Budget, merger of General and
Railway Budgets, and how it will facilitate the efficient deployment of
financial resources for carrying social development works.
Minister of State for Minority
Affairs (IC) and Parliamentary
Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi informed the media that the Government
followed the policy of ‘Sampark, Samvaad, Samanvaya’ and ensured that all issues of wide public importance
debated upon in depth by giving all members of both Houses a chance to present
their views and derive a constructive consensus to move forward. He
noted that 3 important bills namely, Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2017 for giving Constitutional status to the backward
classes commission, Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2016, could not be passed by both Houses. Shri
Naqvi said that the opposition to these bills was not on merit but still the
Government respected the consensus in Rajya Sabha to refer them to the Select
Committee. The Minister noted that the delay in passage of
these socially important bills will prevent the common people to derive
benefits for some more time.
Regarding the Legislative Business
carried out during the Budget Session 2017, it was informed that the first part
of the Budget Session yielded a total of 7 sittings of Lok Sabha and 8 sittings
of the Rajya Sabha. In the second part of the
Session there were 22 sittings of Lok Sabha and 21 sittings of Rajya Sabha. During the entire Budget Session, 2017 there were in
total 29 sittings each of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.The
productivity of Lok Sabha was 113.27% and that of Rajya Sabha was 92.43%. Approximately 8 hours were lost
in Lok Sabha and 18 hours in Rajya Sabha due to interruptions, which was made
up by sitting late for approximately 19 hours and 7 hours respectively.
This being the first Session of the
year, the President addressed both Houses of Parliament assembled together in
terms of Article 87(1) of the
Constitution, on 31st January, 2017 and informed the Parliament of
the causes of its summons. Motion of Thanks on the
President’s Address were moved, discussed and adopted by
the two Houses during the first part of the Session. Both
the Houses also adjourned for recess for a period of 27 days on Thursday, the
9th February, 2017 to reassemble on Monday, the 9th March, 2017 to enable the
Departmentally related Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants
relating to various Ministries/Departments.
During the first part of Session, the
Union Budget for 2017-18 was presented on Wednesday, the 1 st February, 2017.
This time Budget for Railways was also merged with General Budget. General
Discussion on the Union Budget was held in both Houses.
During the second part of
the Session, after scrutiny and presentation of reports by concerned Standing
Committees, Demands for Grants under the control of the Ministries of (i) Railways; (ii) Home Affairs; (iii) Defence; and (iv) Agriculture were discussed and voted
individually by the Lok Sabha. The Demands for Grants of the remaining Ministries/Departments which could not be
discussed were put to the vote of the House and were voted in full on Monday,
the 20th March, 2017. The related Appropriation Bill was also introduced, considered and
passed and subsequently returned by the Rajya Sabha.
Appropriation Bill relating to Supplementary
Demands for Grants was also introduced, considered and passed on the same day
and subsequently returned by the Rajya Sabha. The Finance Bill, 2017 was passed by
Lok Sabha on 22.03.2017 and Rajya Sabha returned it with
recommendations on 29.03.2017. Lok Sabha rejected the
recommendations made by Rajya Sabha in the Bill on 30.03.2017. The Finance Bill got the assent of
the President on 31st March, 2017.
The Supplementary
Demands for Grants for 2016-17 and Demands for Excess Grants for 2013-14 relating to Railways were also
voted with connected Appropriation Bills by Lok Sabha which were subsequently
returned by the Rajya Sabha. During this period, besides completion of General Discussion on Union
Budget, the Rajya Sabha discussed the working of Ministry of Railways.
A major highlight of this
Session, among others, is the passing of four historic Bills namely, the
Central Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017, the Integrated Goods and Services Tax
Bill, 2017, the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017 and the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax
Bill 2017 by both Houses of Parliament to enable implementation of Goods and
Services Tax across the country w.e.f. 1st July, 2017.
During this Session a
total of 24 Bills (24 in
Lok Sabha) were introduced. 23 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and
14 Bills by Rajya Sabha. Total
number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament during the Session is 18. A list of Bills introduced in Lok
Sabha, Bills passed by Lok Sabha, Bills passed by Rajya Sabha, Bills passed by
both Houses of Parliament, Bill withdrawn is attached in Annexure.
Some important Social
Sector Bills like the Payment of Wages (Amendment)
Bill, 2017,
the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2017, the Mental Health Care
Bill, 2017, and the Employee’s Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2017 were also passed by both
Houses of Parliament in this Session.The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2017 was also passed by both Houses of Parliament.
In the Lok Sabha,one Short
Duration Discussion under Rule 193 was held on Sustainable Development
Goals which remained inconclusive. In the Rajya Sabha, two Short Duration Discussion under Rule
176, were held on i) Electoral Reforms and ii) Aadhaar
-its implementation and implications. One Calling Attention motion on the need of convening a meeting of
the National Development Council to discuss the necessity for continuance of
the concept of Special Category Status, was also held in Rajya Sabha.
Annexure
Legislative Business
Transacted During The 11th Session of 16thLok Sabha and
242nd Session of Rajya Sabha (Budget Session, 2017)
I – BILLS INTRODUCED IN LOK SABHA
- The
Finance Bill, 2017
- The
Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill,
2017.
- The
Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017
- The Indian
Institutes of Management Bill, 2017
- The
Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017
6. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill,
2017
7. The Footwear Design and Development Institute Bill, 2017
8. The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017
9. The Collection of
Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017
10. The
Appropriation (Railways) Bill, 2017
11. The Appropriation (Railways) No.2 Bill, 2017
12. The
Appropriation Bill, 2017
13. The Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2017
14. The Indian Institutes of
Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2017
15. The Central
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
16. The
Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
17. The Goods
and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Bill,
2017
18. The
Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017
19. The Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2017
20. The National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development (Amendment) Bill, 2017
21. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017.
22. The National Commission
for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017
23. The Indian Institutes of
Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Bill, 2017
24. The Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment)
Bill, 2017
II – BILLS PASSED BY LOK SABHA
1. The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017
2. The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017
3. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2017
4. The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of
Maritime Claims)
Bill, 2017
5. The Appropriation (Railways) Bill, 2017
6. The Appropriation (Railways) No.2 Bill, 2017
7. The Appropriation Bill, 2017
8. The Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2017
9. The Finance Bill, 2017
10. The Constitution (Scheduled
Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2017
11. The Mental
Health Care Bill, 2016
12. The
National Institute of Technology, Science Education and Research (Second
Amendment) Bill, 2016
13. The Central
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
14. The
Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
15. The Goods
and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Bill,
2017
16. The
Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017
17. The
Footwear Design and Development Institute Bill, 2017
18. The
Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2017
19. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016
20. The National Commission for Backward
Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017
21. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017
22. The Human Immunodeficiency
Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014.
23. The Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017
III – BILLS PASSED BY RAJYA SABHA
1. The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017
2. The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2017
3. The Human Immunodeficiency
Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014.
4. The Employee’s Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2016
5. The Appropriation Bill, 2017
6. The Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2017
7. The Finance Bill, 2017
8. The Appropriation (Railways) Bill, 2017
9. The Appropriation (Railways) No.2 Bill, 2017
10. The Central
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
11. The
Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
12. The Goods
and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Bill,
2017
13. The
Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017
14. The Constitution (Scheduled
Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2017
IV - BILLS PASSED BY BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
- The
Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill,
2017
- The
Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017
3. The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2017
4. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2017
5. The Appropriation Bill, 2017
6. The Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2017
7. The Finance Bill, 2017
8. The Appropriation (Railways) Bill, 2017
9. The Appropriation (Railways) No.2 Bill, 2017
10. The Mental Health Care Bill, 2017
11. The
Employee’s Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2017
12. The Central
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
13. The
Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017
14. The Goods
and Services Tax (Compensation to States)
Bill, 2017
15. The
Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017
16. #The
Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2017
17. The
Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders
(Amendment) Bill, 2017
18. The
Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2017
#Will be deemed to have been passed by the Houses on Parliament on expiry
14 days from receipt of Bill, as passed by Lok Sabha in Rajya Sabha under clause
(5) of article 109 of the Constitution on
20.04.2017
V – BILLS WITHDRAWN
1. The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (in Lok Sabha)
2. The Seamen's Provident
Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (in Rajya Sabha)
3. The Tribunals, Appellate
Tribunals and Other Authorities (Conditions of Service) Bill, 2014
*****
VM