Rules review committee proposes changes in Rajya Sabha rules

The committee constituted to review the rules of procedures of the Upper House of Parliament has recommended considerable changes in the rules besides addition of 124 new rules.

The two-member committee submitted its report to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaih Naidu on Friday.

The report which runs into 387 pages has recommended amendments to 77 existing rules besides proposing 124 new ones.

It also recommended 84 new directions to be issued by the Rajya Sabha Chairman and made 25 other suggestions/observations.

As per Article 118(1) of the Constitution, each House of Parliament can make rules for regulating its procedure and the conduct of its business.

To make the functioning of the Rajya Sabha more effective, Naidu had constituted the committee in May this year.

The two-member committee comprised former Rajya Sabha Secretary General V.K. Agnihotri and former Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice Dinesh Bharadwaj.

The mandate of the committee was to recommend amendments/suggestions to Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) in the context of prevailing practices in Lok Sabha, other legislatures of the country and also the practices in the cohort of some of the commonwealth countries.

The report will now be considered by the Rules Committee and thereafter the recommendations of the Rules Committee will be placed before the House for its approval.

--IANS

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