RS saw rare passage of pvt bill this session: Ansari

The budget session in Rajya Sabha, which concluded today, witnessed the rare passage of a private member's bill on the rights of transgenders and a historic measure to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.
"Twelve Government Bills, including one Constitutional Amendment Bill, were passed and returned. In addition and after a gap of 36 years, a Private Member's Bill aimed at promoting the rights of Transgender Persons was also passed," Chairman Hamid Ansari said before adjourning the House sine die.
He also suggested longer sessions to provide more opportunity to members to raise issues in the House.
"The eager participation of members and the demand for more such opportunities, underlines the need for more time being made available. This would be possible only if the duration of sessions is longer, as was the practice many years back," Ansari said.

He noted that the session had shown a distinct improvement in the articulation of individual member's concern on matters of urgent interest.
Aiming at increasing the productivity during Question Hour, he said "at present only 5 to 6 of the balloted starred questions for the sitting are answered orally.

"This number can be increased if both the members and ministers adopt the practice of short, crisp and focused questions and answer."
He said the 235th session recorded 13 sittings lasting for 73 hours since it commenced on April 23.
Pointing out that 42 members availed of the opportunity to express their views in the 'Zero Hour' he said that zero hour was taken up on eight days of the session, where 48 questions were answered.

Ansari said the House welcomed three Members from Kerala and bade a warm and touching farewell to two members from the same state.