The Rajya Sabha will sit beyond 7 p.m on Monday to take up the government’s legislative and other businesses.
On top of the agenda listed for next week is a debate on the Union Budget as well as passage of three ordinance replacement Bills on coal, mines and land acquisition. While the Bills on coal and mines are with a Select Committee, the one on land acquisition is yet to be introduced in the Upper House.
“A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the House on Thursday this week,” the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said in a statement.
The Committee of the Rajya Sabha has allotted one hour for further discussion on the Mines Bill, two hours for the Coal Mines Bill next week and 10 hours for General Budget, the statement said.
Ordinance replacement bills
The two Select Committees are to submit their reports on the respective ordinance replacement Bills (on coal and mines) by March 18. The two ordinances will lapse on April 5 and need to be replaced by the Bills before the said date. As per the schedule announced, Parliament is to be adjourned on March 20.
The third ordinance replacement Bill related to Land Acquisition is still to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
Of the six ordinances to be replaced by Bills, the Rajya Sabha has so far passed three Bills relating to Amendment of Citizenship Act, The Motor Vehicles Act and the Insurance Laws. Lok Sabha has passed all the six replacement Bills.
The Government also proposes consideration and passing of The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Rajya Sabha next week.
Budget discussion
In the Lok Sabha, the Government has proposed a discussion on General Budget for 2015-16, which was deferred on Friday after the Opposition, led by the Congress, demanded the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, who was out of the country.
Also on the agenda is the introduction, consideration and passing of Appropriation Bills relating to the Demands for Grants on Account for 2015-16, Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2014-15 and Excess Demands for Grants for 2012-13. For this, 12 hours time has been allotted.
In addition, the Government also proposes consideration and passing of The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2015, as passed by the Rajya Sabha this session, The Warehousing Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2014, next week.
During the first three weeks of the Budget Session, 10 Bills were passed, including six ordinance replacement ones by the Lok Sabha, while the Rajya Sabha has passed three, relating to citizenship, motor vehicles and insurance sector, besides the Constitution (Schedules Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2015.