LS passes 14 Bills and RS passes 15 Bills during Winter Session of Parliament

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday informed media that a total of 14 Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha and 15 were passed in the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded Winter Session of the Parliament.

"In the winter session, Lok Sabha passed 14 bills and the Rajya Sabha passed 15 bills. Productivity was 116 per cent in Lok Sabha and 100 per cent in Rajya Sabha,' he said while speaking to media in New Delhi.

Notably, one of the major Bill which was passed in this Parliament session was the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019.

The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 became an Act after President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday gave his assent to it.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 makes way for granting Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

With the government putting its weight behind it, the Bill easily sailed through both the Houses of Parliament. It was passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and the Lower House on Monday.

According to the Act, members of the Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014, and were facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but will be given Indian citizenship.