PRS Legislative Research
What happened in Parliament's Budget Session II 2016: Days 10-13
Day 10, 6 May 2016
Private Member Business was taken up in both houses.
Members in Lok Sabha called the attention of the Minister of Defence regarding the recent disclosure by the Court of Appeals, Milan, Italy on alleged irregularities in Augusta Westland Helicopter deal, 2013.
Rajya Sabha concluded discussion on the Working of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Minister, Ms. Smriti Irani replied at the end of the debate.
The Select Committee of Rajya Sabha examining the Enemy Property (Amendment) Bill presented its report.
The Bill amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, to vest all rights, titles and interests over enemy property in the Custodian. The Bill declares transfer of enemy property by the enemy, conducted under the Act, to be void. This applies retrospectively to transfers that have occurred before or after 1968. Further, the Bill prohibits civil courts and other authorities from entertaining disputes related to enemy property. For detailed analysis, highlighting key features and related issues please click here.
Week Wrap:
Bills passed:
By Lok Sabha
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015
The Finance Bill, 2016
By Rajya Sabha:
The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016
As of 9 May 2016, Lok Sabha has functioned for 121% of is scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha has functioned for 98% its scheduled time.
Day 11, 9th May 2016
Rajya Sabha saw repeated disruptions as the opposition protested over the Prime Minister's statement on VVIP chopper deal.
Lok Sabha passed the Anti Hijacking Bill. During the debate members raised concerns about the preparedness of the government to deal with exigencies related to hijacking. Further some members suggested that a specialised force be set up and trained to handle such situations.
The Bill has been examined by a Standing Committee, and has been passed by the Rajya Sabha last week with some amendments. A comparison of the bill as passed by Rajya Sabha and the Standing Committee Recommendations is given below.
|
Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 |
Standing Committee Recommendations |
Bill as passed by Rajya Sabha |
|
Death penalty for hijacking (Clause 4) |
||
|
§ Hijacking will be punishable with death, where it results in death of a hostage or security personnel. |
§ Punishable with death penalty, if hijacking results in death of any person (including hostage or security personnel). § ‘Hostage’ and ‘security personnel’ may be defined in the Bill. |
§ Addressed.
§ Addressed. [Hostage: any passenger, or crew member, or security personnel on board an aircraft, or ground support staff, who is detained without consent to ensure fulfilment of some demands. Security personnel: any security person deployed or authorised by the central government to ensure security of civil aviation against acts of hostage taking, hijacking, etc.] |
|
Compensation for victims |
||
|
§ No provision. |
§ Necessary provisions should be included in the Bill to provide for compensation to victims or their dependents. |
§ Not addressed. |
|
Applicability of other laws for acts of violence committed alongside hijacking (Clause 5) |
||
|
§ When any act of violence is committed against any passenger or crew member alongside the hijacking, it will be punishable under other applicable Indian laws (eg. Indian Penal Code, 1860). |
§ This protection should be extended to cover acts of violence against ground staff or security personnel as well. |
§ Not addressed |
Lok Sabha also took up discussion on the Uttarakhand Budget.
Lok Sabha was sitting at the time of sending this report.
Day 12, 10 May 2016
Rajya Sabha saw repeated disruptions through the day and scheduled business could not be taken up.
Lok Sabha continued debate on the situation of drought and water crisis in the country. Members suggested the need for more interlinking of rivers and a water policy. Members also raised the issue of groundwater depletion and steps that need to be taken to check the issue. Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in both urban and rural India.
Our analytical note, ‘Overview of Groundwater in India’, presents an analysis of the groundwater scenario in the country. The note maps the indicators regarding availability, policy framework and some key issues with regards to the sector.
The Minister of Rural Development, Chaudhary Birender Singh replied at the end of the debate.
There remain three more days for the Session to end. As of yesterday, Lok Sabha has functioned for 120% of its scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha has functioned for 85% of its scheduled time.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is listed for passage in Rajya Sabha this week. To know more about the Code, you can watch our video here.
Day 13, 11 May 2016
Rajya Sabha took up discussion on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
Lok Sabha adjourned sine die today. Discussion on the situation of drought and water crisis concluded in the Lower House.
Snapshot of legislative business in Lok Sabha during the second half of the session given below:
1. The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016
2. The Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016
3. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
4. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015
5. The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010
6. The Rajendra Central Agricultural University Bill, 2015
7. The Finance Bill,2016
8. The Railways Appropriation, 2016
Overall productivity of Lok Sabha was 121%; it was 123% in Part 1 and 119% in Part 2
Question Hour has functioned for 93% of its scheduled time, while in Rajya Sabha question hour has functioned for 77% of its scheduled time.
Productivity of question hour, in terms of questions answered orally was at 27%, the highest it has been in 15 years.
Lok Sabha discussed only 1.4% of the central government expenditure. This accounts for Rs 21,346 crore out of a total budget of Rs 19 lakh crore. 98.6% of the expenditure by ministries was guillotined.
For more information on the session you can take a look at our Session Track page here.
By Trina Roy
PRS Legislative Research
|
Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 |
Standing Committee Recommendations |
Bill as passed by Rajya Sabha |
|
Death penalty for hijacking (Clause 4) |
||
|
§ Hijacking will be punishable with death, where it results in death of a hostage or security personnel. |
§ Punishable with death penalty, if hijacking results in death of any person (including hostage or security personnel). § ‘Hostage’ and ‘security personnel’ may be defined in the Bill. |
§ Addressed.
§ Addressed. [Hostage: any passenger, or crew member, or security personnel on board an aircraft, or ground support staff, who is detained without consent to ensure fulfilment of some demands. Security personnel: any security person deployed or authorised by the central government to ensure security of civil aviation against acts of hostage taking, hijacking, etc.] |
|
Compensation for victims |
||
|
§ No provision. |
§ Necessary provisions should be included in the Bill to provide for compensation to victims or their dependents. |
§ Not addressed. |
|
Applicability of other laws for acts of violence committed alongside hijacking (Clause 5) |
||
|
§ When any act of violence is committed against any passenger or crew member alongside the hijacking, it will be punishable under other applicable Indian laws (eg. Indian Penal Code, 1860). |
§ This protection should be extended to cover acts of violence against ground staff or security personnel as well. |
§ Not addressed |