Parliament Session Ends Early: Key Bills Passed and Heated Debates
New Delhi, India – On August 9, both Houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were adjourned sine die, one sitting ahead of the scheduled end of the session. The session was supposed to end on August 12, but Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House early.
Key Bills Passed
During the session, several important bills were passed:
- The Finance Bill, 2024
- The Appropriation Bill, 2024
- The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2024
- The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024
Additionally, the Finance Minister presented the Union Budget 2024-2025 on July 23, 2024. The general discussion on the budget lasted for over 27 hours, with 181 Members participating. The Finance Minister replied to the discussion on July 30.
Heated Debates in Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha faced multiple adjournments due to opposition protests. Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan demanded an apology from Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar after a heated exchange over remarks made by BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari against Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. This led to a walkout by the opposition members.
New Bills Introduced
Several new bills were introduced during the session:
- The Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, aims to enhance the powers of the Railways Board and improve operational efficiency.
- The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeks to improve governance standards and provide better protection for depositors and investors.
- The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced and referred to a joint committee of Parliament amid protests over its provisions.
Productivity and Committees
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced that the productivity of the House was above 130 percent, specifically 136 percent. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also adopted a motion naming 31 members to be part of a joint committee of the Houses to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The session saw significant legislative activity and intense debates, reflecting the dynamic nature of India’s parliamentary proceedings.
Doubts Revealed
Parliament -: Parliament is a place where elected representatives meet to make laws and discuss important issues of the country. In India, it has two parts: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha -: Lok Sabha is one part of the Indian Parliament. It is also called the House of the People because its members are directly elected by the people of India.
Rajya Sabha -: Rajya Sabha is the other part of the Indian Parliament. It is also called the Council of States because its members are elected by the state legislatures.
adjourned sine die -: Adjourned sine die means that the meeting or session has ended without setting a date to meet again.
Finance Bill, 2024 -: The Finance Bill is a proposal for new taxes or changes to existing taxes. It is presented every year to manage the country’s finances.
Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 -: Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak is a bill related to aviation in India. It includes rules and regulations for air travel and airlines.
opposition protests -: Opposition protests are actions taken by members of the Parliament who are not in the ruling party. They protest to show disagreement with the government’s decisions.
Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 -: The Railways (Amendment) Bill is a proposal to make changes to the existing laws related to railways in India.
Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 -: The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill is a proposal to make changes to the existing laws related to banks and banking activities in India.
Lok Sabha Speaker -: The Lok Sabha Speaker is the person who manages the meetings and discussions in the Lok Sabha. Om Birla is the current Speaker.
productivity -: Productivity in this context means how much work was done during the Parliament session. A productivity of 136 percent means they did more work than expected.
