Rajya Sabha sittings extended till August 7

The sittings of Rajya Sabha was on Friday extended till August 7, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu informed the Upper House a day after Lok Sabha session was extended.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee after the government requested for extension of the sittings.

"The sittings of the Rajya Sabha, which were earlier scheduled up to July 26, 2019, has been extended up to August 7, 2019, to transact essential government legislative business. There will be no Question Hour on those days," Naidu informed the House.

Announcing the government business for the rest of the proceeding, Minister of State V Muraleedharan listed the bills that include the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Both the Bills have been passed by the people's House.

The government also listed DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019. the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019, the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, the Code on Wages Bill, 2019, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill, 2019.

Sir, according to Rule 38, the Question Hour is from 12 noon to 1 pm. It is entirely up to the discretion that you are dispensing with it from next week. In that case, I have a request for you to consider - to see if the Zero Hour can be had from 11 am 1 pm, and then from 2 pm, take up Government business. That is our request, Sir, so that we get a chance to raise some issues.

Raising a Point of Order, Trinamool's Derek O' Brien said 15 to 16 parties had put in a request for a Short Duration Discussion on July 4 on how to strengthen the media.

"I request the government to please have the Short Duration Discussion," he said.