Monsoon Session from July 18; triple talaq on list

New Delhi: After a highly unproductive Budget Session, the Parliament’s Monsoon Session will begin on July 18 and end on August 10 with the government looking to get the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, or the triple talaq Bill, and the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, passed.

Both the Bills have been passed by the Lok Sabha and are pending in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP has moved closer to a “working” majority after improving its tally from 58 to 68 seats in the elections for the Upper House in March.

Though the BJP is still short of the halfway mark of 123 in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, party floor managers are planning to muster enough numbers, with the help of allies and friendly parties, to get key Bills passed.

According to PRS legislative research organisation, the January-April Budget Session, which witnessed consecutive disruption of proceedings in both Houses of Parliament over a host of issues including special category status for Andhra Pradesh and the Punjab National Bank-Nirav Modi fraud case, was the least productive Budget Session since 2000. The Rajya Sabha spent only three minutes on bills while the Lok Sabha spent 14 minutes on important legislations.

During the Monsoon Session, which will have a total of 18 sittings, the government will also push for constitutional status for the National Commission for OBCs by getting the National Commission for Medical Education Bill, 2017, passed.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, that promises to improve the quality of life of transgenders, is also likely to be taken up.

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said, “We seek the support and cooperation of the Opposition parties. There are many important items on the legislative agenda that the government wants to take up in the Monsoon Session.”

Mr Kumar said that more than six ordinances will also be taken up during the session.

With Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurien’s term ending at the end of this month, the election of his successor will also be taken up in this session, Mr Kumar said.

Several amendments to the goods and services tax (GST) law are also likely to be placed before Parliament in the Monsoon Session. The government is also likely to introduce Arbitration Bills in this session. A proposed amendment to Indian Arbitration Council Act, 2017, aims to have a regulatory framework for making India a global hub for arbitration.

Other pending Bills likely to come up during the session include the Right of Children Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013, and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016.  

The Cabinet Committee of Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA), chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh, met on Monday to recommend the dates for the Monsoon Session. President Ram Nath Kovind will now formally convene the session.