Parliament finally saw some work being transacted on Monday as the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the crucial SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill along with two Bills on supplementary demands for 2015-16, within mi nutes without any debate.
The House returned to the lok Sabha the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill and the Appropriation (No. 5) Bill containing the second batch of supplementary demands as part of grants for 2015-16 to meet Government’s expenditure.
In the lok Sabha, the National Waterways Bill 2015 introduced by Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari was passed after two-hour long debate. The Bill was intended to declaring 106 inland waterways as National Waterways. “This Bill will help farmers, fishermen and trade,” said Gadkari.
As the Rajya Sabha reassembled after lunch, the Opposition criticised the Government’s move to bring the Juvenile Justice Bill (JJB) through the supplementary agenda route.
leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad objected to this saying that the ruling party itself was complicating the issue and suggested JJ Bill can be taken on Tuesday.
Following this, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien took up the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2015 which was passed unanimously through a voice vote without any discussion. Congress leader Hussain Dalwai did not move his motion for certain amendments after his party asked him not to do so. There was thumping on the desk as the House passed the Bill.
The two Appropriations Bills were also passed in a similar manner without any discussion. TMC leader Derek O’Brien stood up and told the Chair that it was important to mention that the Bills were passed unanimously and not in a din.
To this, a smiling Kurien said, “How can there be dinIJ There is perfect calm and tranquility. Everybody is cool. A cool breeze is blowing. I don’t know where this breeze is coming from”.
As Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi sought taking up of more Bills, Azad hit back saying, “All of us have agreed and I said we will pass Bills in the next three days. We had said we will pass the SC/ST Bill and we have fulfilled our promise.”
Naqvi then stood up and urged the Opposition to “show some more strength”.
The Opposition members argued that it was decided at the all-party meeting that after the passage of the Bills, there would be debates on issues like intolerance, floods, price rise and the issue of Arunachal Pradesh, on which there was an agreement. The Congress received support from CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury who said discussion on these issues should be taken up after the bills have been passed.
The “Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015” that provides for resolution of insolvency in a time-bound manner was introduced in the lok Sabha. This code provides for setting up of “Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India” to regulate professionals, agencies and information utilities engaged in resolution of insolvencies of companies, partnership firms and individuals.
“The Code also proposes to establish a fund to called the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Fund of India...,” said the statement of objects and reasons of the bill tabled in the lok Sabha by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.