Winter session of Parliament to begin on November 16

The winter session of Parliament will be held from November 16 to December 16, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs decided here on Thursday.

The winter session is normally convened in the third or fourth week of November but this year the government has decided to advance it.

"An early winter session of Parliament will help the quick passage of the central GST bill and also the Integrated GST Bill. By first week of December, the government wants to clear paper work vis-a-vis legislative matters," a government source said.

Thursday's meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs also decided to push at least 12-14 important legislation besides the GST, the source said.

The government is also considering advancing the budget session by a month or so starting from January next year.

The monsoon session of Parliament saw the passage of numerous important bills by both houses.

The winter session is, however, expected to have high voltage debates related to the recent terrorist attacks and the army's surgical strikes on Pakistani territory.

--IANS

nd/mr