Parliament Winter Session: 2 Key Bills Passed, 5 Bills Introduced In 20 Sessions Of Lok Sabha

The Winter Session of Parliament saw 20 Lok Sabha and 19 Rajya Sabha sittings with passage of two key bills and introduction of five bills.

The Winter Session of the Parliament was concluded on Friday with both Houses being adjourned sine die.

Source : PTI

The Lok Sabha sat for 20 sessions while Rajya Sabha held 19 sitting during the Winter Session of the Parliament which commenced on November 25 and was adjourned sine die on Friday. 

During the 26-day tenure, the Lower House of the Parliament functioned for 52 per cent of its scheduled time and the Rajya Sabha clocked 39 per cent operation of its scheduled time, according to PRS Legislative Research. 

Both Houses functioned for less than 10 per cent of the scheduled time in the first week of the session with Lok Sabha sitting an extra day on a Saturday to discuss the workings of the Constitution. 

Two key bills were passed during the Winter session including the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 which replaces the Aircraft Act, 1934. The bill aims to modernise the regulatory framework governing civil aviation while retaining most provisions of the original Act. 

The Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2024 was another legislation that was passed in the Parliament. The legislation, which was introduced as the Money Bill in Lok Sabha, authorises additional expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India for the fiscal year 2024-25. The bill was introduced during the Budget session, 2024. 

Five new bills were introduced in the Parliament including one on the One Nation One Election. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 proposes simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The bill was sent to a Joint Parliamentary panel on demand by opposition parties. 

The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was also introduced in the Parliament which seeks to hold synchronised elections for the legislatures of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir, alongside Lok Sabha polls. Both the bills have been sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further examination. 

The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 and the Coastal Shipping Bill 2024 were also introduced in Lok Sabha. Bills introduced in earlier sessions of the Parliament that were passed by Lok Sabha included the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024. 

The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024 and The Boilers Bill, 2024 were passed by the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded session. 

With the conclusion of the session, 33 bills remained pending in the Parliament including newer introductions like the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024, as well as older proposals such as the Seeds Bill, 2004, and the Delhi Rent (Amendment) Bill, 1997.

As per the report, the Question Hour did not function for 15 out of 19 days in Rajya Sabha and not more than 10 minutes on 12 out of 20 days in Rajya Sabha. 

A special discussion on the 'Glorious journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India' was held in both the Houses of Parliament. The discussion engaged the Lok Sabha for 15 Hours 43 Minutes with 62 members taking part and was replied to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The discussion in Rajya Sabha spanned 17 Hours 41 Minutes with 80 members participating and was replied to by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.