Parliament special session kickstarts: 8 bills, move to new building on agenda
Amid speculation of a surprise move by the central government, the five-day long special session of Parliament will commence today. Know what's on the agenda.
The five-day long special session of Parliament has commenced on Monday amid the speculation of surprise move by the central government. Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all Members of the Parliament to dedicate maximum time to the "short but historic" session. The government has listed eight bills to be considered during this session.
PM MODI ADDRESSES LOK SABHA
Prime Minister Narendra opened the discussion at 11 am in Lok Sabha on "Parliamentary journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha - Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings". The discussion on the journey of Parliament will be held throughout the day.
Addressing the Lower House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said is the "time to move forward" while remembering the parliamentary journey of 75 years. Referring to the old building, PM Modi said, the sweat, hard work and money used in building it was of my countrymen, though the decision was of the foreign rulers.
On the new bulding, he said, "The light of the first dawn of Amritkaal, a new faith in the nation, new confidence, new enthusiasm, new dreams, new resolutions and new strength of the nation is filling it".
EIGHT BILLS ON TENTATIVE LIST
The tentative list of the agenda for the special session includes eight bills, but the highly debated ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill was not included in the line-up.
The key bills include the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023; the Post Office Bill, 2023, the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, a bill on the welfare of senior citizens and three related to SC/ST order.
On the first day of the five-day special sitting, Lok Sabha MPs from the BJP, Sunil Kumar Singh and Ganesh Singh will also be presenting the sixth report of the Committee of Privileges.
BUZZ OF OTHER LEGISLATION
Two issues which were rumoured to be taken up in the special session of Parliament include the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill and a potential resolution to rename India as Bharat. These issues have been a point of contention between the opposition parties and the central government for several weeks now.
Another bill that might be taken up for discussion is the Women's Reservation Bill as Congress party leaders gear up to push for it during the special session. At an all-party meeting held on Sunday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said all opposition parties demanded the passage of the bill in this Parliament session.
The bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
SHIFT TO NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING
The parliamentary proceedings began as usual in the old building. However, from Tuesday, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the operations will shift to the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 this year. According to government sources, the legislative business will commence from September 20 in the new building.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar hoisted the national flag at the new Parliament building on Sunday, the eve of the special session.
With a new building and the commencement of a special session also comes new uniforms for Parliament staff of both Houses. These include chamber attendants, officers, security personnel, drivers and marshals who will all be seen in new uniforms during the special session.
The Congress party slammed the new dress code with a floral motif for a section of staff and called it a "cheap" tactic to promote the saffron party's poll symbol - the lotus flower.
PHOTO SESSION FOR MPs
All members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have also been called for a group photograph on Tuesday morning. An official said arrangements are in place at the inner courtyard of the old building for the group photo.
On August 31, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, announced the special session of Parliament. Usually, Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions of Parliament are held every year. The Monsoon session was held in July-August while the Winter session is due in November-December.