New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is hoping that Parliament’s Winter Session from November 22 – December 20 would function normally so that it can pass important bills, especially those related to economic reforms, even as the opposition plans to corner the government on allowing 51 per cent foreign equity in multi-brand retail.
Knowledgeable sources said the UPA government has identified around 35 bills for the Winter Session, including some carry-overs from the previous session.
The Parliament is facing a burden of over 100 pending bills with successive sessions failing to transact much legislative business.
These pending bills include ones on land acquisition, Lokpal, whistle-blowers, money-laundering, companies, banking and forward contracts regulation.
Some of the pending bills:
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill: Lokpal bill remains the highlight. Passed by the Lok Sabha at the fag end of winter session last year, the bill had been sent to a select committee, which after extension, is expected to give its report by the end of first week of winter session.
The Whistleblowers Protection Bill: The bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha with the Lokpal bill, has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
The Judicial Accountability Bill: Passed by the Lok Sabha in the budget session, it is likely to be brought to the upper house this session. The bill aims to help in the setting of new probity standards in judiciary.
The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill: The bill aims to regulate entry and operation of foreign educational institutions.
The Education Tribunal Bill: This seeks to create separate tribunals for handling cases related to education institutions. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha in August 2010.
Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill: The much discussed bill still has to get the Rajya Sabha’s nod, but was passed by the lower house amidst din in the monsoon session. It redefines sexual harassment and lays down guidelines for protection of women at workplace.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill: The bill, which has been a demand from social activists for long, was introduced in the Lok Sabha but was not passed.
Quota Bill: The Constitution (one hundred seventeenth) Amendment Bill was perhaps the most controversial bill of this session. It was introduced in the Rajya Sabha Sep 4, and seeks to amend the constitution so that reservations can be provided in promotions.
The Mines Bill: It came into focus after allegations of a coal mining scam and has been assured to be brought in this session. However, some other government sources say major inter-ministerial consultations are still needed to get the bill through. It seeks to consolidate and amend the law relating to the scientific development and regulation of mines and minerals under the control of the central government.
Among other important bills are amendments to the Insurance Laws Bill to raise the foreign equity cap to 49 per cent from 26 per cent, the Banking Regulation Amendment Bill and the Direct Taxes Code Bill.
The opposition parties are planning to corner the government on FDI in retail. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) wants a debate and a vote on FDI during the session and has appealed to others in the opposition to join the issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), supported by the trader community, is also opposed to FDI though it did not shy away from toying with the idea during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rule in 1998-2004.
The month-long monsoon session from August 8 to September 7 was washed out after the BJP did not allow Parliament to function over faulty coal block allocations, demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation. (IANS)