Key bills cleared, Parliament adjourns sine die

RSTV, April 12, 2017

Both houses of India’s bicameral parliament today adjourned sine die. The budget session which began on 31 December last year saw the presentation of general budget and economic survey in the first part of the session. The second part of budget session saw passage of some very important bills including four GST related bills and Finance Bill 2017, and Appropriation Bills.

This time the government had advanced the date of this year’s budget session so that the budget exercise, including passage of Finance Bill could be completed before the commencement of Indian financial year beginning the first day of April.

Chairman Hamid Ansari announced the adjournment of 242nd session of Rajya Sabha today afternoon immediately after the question hour was over.

During the session Rajya Sabha either passed or returned total 14 government bills.

Ansari informed that the house deliberated important issues and legislative business for 136 hours during its 29 sittings held in the session.

Chairman Ansari said: “The house…witnessed the substantial transaction of the legislative business. In all the house either passed or returned fourteen government bills which generated lively debates.”

Appreciating the Rajya Sabha members for lively and animated discussion, Ansari said: “The union budget 2017-18, and the working of ministry of railways and GST bills were discussed at length.”

“Members’ zeal to raise the matters of urgent public importance with concern and compassion is manifested in 205 zero hour submissions and 76 sepecial mentions they made,” said Hamid Ansari.

Rajya Sabha members raised 435 starred questions, that require written as well as oral answers by the concerned ministers, and members also asked 535 supplementary questions related to these starred questions during the 242nd session.

Rajya Sabha members asked 4,629 unstarred questions that does not entail oral answers from the ministers as a written reply is laid in the house.

Hamid Ansari, Chairman, Rajya Sabha thanked the leader of the house Arun Jaitley and leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, deputy chairman PJ Kurien and leaders of political parties for a fruitful budget session.

Appreciating the participation of the members occupying the last two rows of the upper house, Chairman Hamid Ansari said: “Out of total 205 zero hour submissions, they raised 86 which is approximately 42%. Similarly they asked about 260 supplementaries which is about 46% of the total supplementaries asked.”

Rajya Sabha members introduced 33 private member’s bills and many important issues were discussed through these bills and resolutions.

Praising the quality of debate in the upper house, chairman Ansari said, “The issues related to electoral reform and Aadhaar saw animated debates in the form of short duration discussion.”

While the house lost one sitting member during the session, Congress member from Manipur, Haji Abdul Salam. A new member from West Bengal, Manish Gupta of All India Trinmool Congress joined the house in March this year.

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