Monsoon session from Monday: Government plans to introduce 24 new Bills
The Union government is preparing for the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to begin on Monday and end on August 12. The Centre plans to introduce 24 bills during the session, including the crucial Cantonment Bill as well as the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Bill. Apart from these 24 bills, another eight are currently pending in both houses.
Why does this story matter?
During this monsoon session, the president and vice president will also be elected. On the first day of the session, MPs will vote in the presidential election in Parliament polling booths, followed by counting on Thursday. Two separate bills for Constitutional amendment to modify the list of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh will also be taken up.
The government, Opposition are preparing themselves for the session
In order to ensure that the monsoon session runs well, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organized a meeting on Sunday at the Parliament Annexe building. Additionally, the Opposition is also anticipated to gather soon on Sunday to discuss its plans for the forthcoming monsoon session. Notably, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has also been invited to the Opposition meeting to discuss a joint strategy.
Which are the bills that the government seeks to introduce?
Some bills to be introduced include the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, the Development of Enterprises and Services Hubs Bill, which recommends revising the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Bill, and the Competition (Amendment) Bill.
Congress to raise inflation, unemployment, deterioating economy, Agnipath issues
The Congress party, the single largest opposition party in the current Parliament, has decided on three key issues that will be raised in Parliament during the session. These include growing fuel prices, the Agnipath scheme, unemployment, and the rupee's depreciation against the US dollar. Top Congress members gathered on Thursday to discuss tactics and decide which issues would be addressed during the session.
We will ask for debate and discussions: Congress
"LPG cylinder rate, price rise, unemployment, and falling rupee was the first issue which was discussed. Second is the Agnipath scheme, the weakening of military capacity, and the continued tension with China in eastern Ladakh. And the third concern was the continued misuse of agencies/institutions and attack on democracy," a Congress MP reportedly stated. "We will ask for debate and discussions in both houses."
Speaker requests all legislators to keep the session fruitful
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, has made a plea to the leaders to ensure that the session is fruitful, while the government has made a request to the Opposition for their cooperation in the efficient functioning of the legislative process.
