Legislative Efforts for the upcoming Winter Session
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is concentrating its legislative efforts for the upcoming winter session of Parliament on bills addressing social and economic challenges.
The proposed legislation that is likely to be brought before Parliament includes those that deal with surrogacy, mental health, and making education compulsory and free for kids, in addition to three proposals to implement the goods and services tax (GST).
Senior government officials anticipate a tumultuous session, especially given that it comes just before a vital set of elections for the state assemblies of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur, making floor coordination even more challenging. To ensure the passage of important bills, floor cooperation is essential given that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.
The constitutional amendment bill facilitating GST was delayed for a year because the opposition refused to cooperate.
Legislation for Goods & Service Tax
“The all-party meeting is likely to be called by the government on 15 November, a day before the Parliament session begins. The government has not started any informal discussions with opposition parties on the bills because we do not suspect that bills for GST rollout will be blocked by any party. But we expect the coming assembly polls to play a role in floor management.
The good news is that there is no tussle between the government and the opposition,” a senior minister said on condition of anonymity. -live mint. The government wants to stick to the timeline of April 1 for the introduction of the GST, thus the NDA opted to move up the winter session.
The start date for the winter session is set for November 16 and it will go until December 13. The central GST law, integrated GST law, and a measure to ensure compensation to states for losses resulting from a GST transition are supporting bills. These will outline the specifics of the GST’s structure and establish the framework for how rules will be created under the GST.
Other Legislations on the Agenda
The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill of 2016which The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on August 11, 2016, by the Minister for Labour and Employment, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, this bill amends the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, this regulates the employment of women during the period of childbirth and provides maternity benefits.Â
The Act applies to factories, mines, plantations, shops, and other establishments, the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill of 2015 which amends the Whistleblowers Protection Act, of 2014, provides a mechanism for receiving and inquiring into public interest disclosures against acts of corruption, wilful misuse of power or discretion, or criminal offenses by public servants, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill of 2016 which prohibits commercial surrogacy, and allows altruistic surrogacy and the Mental Health Care Bill of 2013, which repealed the Mental Health Act, 1987, the key features of the Bill are:
(i) rights of persons with mental illness
(ii) advance directive
(iii) Central and State Mental Health Authority
(iv) Mental Health Review Commission Board
(v) Decriminalising suicide and prohibiting electro-convulsive therapy: are other topics on the legislative agenda.
In order to stop the no-fail policy in elementary schools, the administration also intends to change the Right to Education Act (classes 1-8).
When the Act is changed, states will be permitted to administer exams in schools, something that is currently prohibited. In order to guarantee improved educational outcomes, states have long demanded the restoration of the test system.
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Opposition Party and the Anticipated Agenda
The upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, in which a number of opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Congress, hope to play a significant role, will have an effect on how the winter session is conducted.
The minister previously mentioned stated that there might be some interruptions in the upper house. The opposition parties may try to force the government out of both houses of Parliament, according to NDA leaders, by bringing up the cross-border shooting between Indian and Pakistani troops, which has forced villagers to leave their homes in border regions.
“We anticipate that the opposition parties will demand a discussion on the growing threat of terrorism in the country, cross-border action between India and Pakistan and state of economy issues. There is a general view in the government that we will take part in all the discussions raised by the opposition parties,” the minister added- Livemint.
