Winter session of Parliament to take up 7 fresh, 11 pending Bills

The government will introduce at least seven new Bills and move 11 pending ones for debate and passing in the 15-sitting winter session, the penultimate of the 17th Lok Sabha, starting December 4.

The government has called the customary pre-session all-party meeting on Saturday.

According to the list of businesses that the Lok Sabha Secretariat posted on its website, the government will present for discussion and voting the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2023-24. The government is likely to seek the Lok Sabha’s approval for additional funds for food, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fertilizer subsidies and for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme.

The seven new bills the government has listed include the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill to incorporate the recommendations of the GST Council given in its 52nd meeting held on  October 7, another for setting up the Central Tribal University in Telangana and two for providing women’s quotas in the legislative assemblies of Jammu & Kashmir and Puducherry.

The government has listed the Boilers Bill, 2023, to re-enact the century-old “pre-Constitution” Boilers Act, 1923, which relates to ensuring the safety of life and property. It has also listed the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023, to re-enact the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 1931. The Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2023, is not listed as the government sought comments on its draft on November 10, giving stakeholders and the public 30 days to send feedback.

The 11 pending Bills the government has listed include the proposed legislation to redraft the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act. The government introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita to replace the IPC, CrPC, and the Evidence Act on the last day of the monsoon session in August, which the Lok Sabha referred to a parliamentary standing committee. The standing committee has submitted its report to the House.

The Opposition will likely object to the Hindi names of the Bills and other inconsistencies. In a letter last week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah not to rush through with the proposed legislations. The government has also listed the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill to streamline the appointments through a panel which excludes the Chief Justice of India. The government had introduced the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session.

The session will also take up the Ethics Committee report on expelling Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra. The Privileges Committee has asked Bahujan Samaj Party member Danish Ali to appear before it on December 7 to “give oral evidence” on complaints by several MPs about the alleged improper conduct of Bharatiya Janata Party member Ramesh Bidhuri. 

ON THE LIST OF BUSINESS (For parliament’s winter session from December 4 to 22)

- The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2023-24

- Re-enacting the century-old Boilers Act, 1923

- The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 1931

- Bills to provide for women’s quotas in J&K and Puducherry Assemblies

- Bill to set up a Central Tribal University in Telangana

- Bills to replace the IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Sakshya Bill, respectively

- Bill to regulate appointment of chief election commissioners and election commissioners