With only three sittings of the Winter Session left this week, the Rajya Sabha has allotted time for 18 Bills which is on ‘the unfinished agenda’ of the Upper House as it is also expected to discuss the role of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh before the end of the Session.
The Rajya Sabha has, so far, passed only one Bill pertaining to negotiable instruments while no new Bills were introduced in the House during the ongoing Winter Session, which commenced on November 26. The Goods and Services Tax (constitutional amendment) Bill has already been put on the back burner with the Congress in the Upper House refusing to facilitate its passage.
The lok Sabha will now take up The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The National Waterways (Amendment) Bill, 2015 for which discussion time of two and three hours respectively has been allotted.
Besides, the lower House will take up short-duration discussion on the situation in Nepal and the State of Indo-Nepal relations and resume discussion on Sustainable Development Goals, with only three sittings left next week in the Winter Session.
Among the 18 pending Bills, the Rajya Sabha is likely to take up The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015, The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Appropriation Bills pertaining to Supplementary Demands for Grants (General) for 2015-16 and Excess Demands for Grants (General) for 2012-13- all passed by the lok Sabha during this Session.
The Whistle Blower Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2015, as passed by the lok Sabha earlier and the Child labour (Protection and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, on which the Standing Committee presented its report in December, 2013 — are also on the table of the Rajya Sabha but these may be moved to the select committee.
The Rajya Sabha is also likely to discuss this week the role of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh as agreed to by the Government at the all-party meeting, besides growing intolerance endangering the unity and diversity of the country and prices of essential commodities and food grains.
During the Session, 12 Bills have been passed by the lok Sabha while six new Bills have been introduced. Bills passed by the lower House are — The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015, The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015, The Indian Trustees (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015, Discussion and Voting on Supplementary Demands and Excess Demands for Grants and the related Appropriation Bills, The Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
All the six new Bills introduced in the lok Sabha relating to arbitration and conciliation, commercial jurisdiction of High Courts, atomic energy, payment of bonus to workers, industries and sugar cess were passed by the lok Sabha.
On the other hand, the Rajya Sabha has passed only one Bill pertaining to Negotiable instruments while no new Bills were introduced during the ongoing Winter Session so far.