News Excerpt:

The Winter Session of Parliament which commenced on 4th December, 2023 has been adjourned sine die on 21st December, 2023.

About the session:

• This was the 14th session of 17th Lok Sabha and 262nd session of Rajya Sabha (Winter Session).
• Adjournment sine die means terminating a session indefinitely, i.e., without setting a day or date for reassembly.
• The productivity of Lok Sabha was approximately 74% and that of Rajya Sabha was approximately 79 %.
• Total number of Bills passed by both the Houses of Parliament during the Session is 19. Some of the major Bills passed by both Houses during the Session are as under:
• The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 and incorporate the provisions of Section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act 1879 in the Advocates Act, 1961.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to change in nomenclature of ‘weak and under-privileged classes (social castes)’ to ‘Other Backward Classes’ in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to provide nomination of not more than two members, one of whom shall be a woman from the community of Kashmiri Migrants and one member from Displaced person from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023 provides for establishment of a Central Tribal University in Telangana.
• The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 seeks to Repeal 76 redundant and obsolete laws.
• The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to extend the validity of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 for a further period of three years from 01.01.2024 to 31.12.2026 thereby providing protection from punitive action to certain forms of unauthorised Developments in Delhi.
• The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 seeks to regulate the appointment, conditions of service and term of office of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, the procedure for transaction of business by the Election Commission and for matters connected therewith.
• The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 seeks to provide for press, registration of periodicals and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 seeks to amend and consolidate the laws relating to development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and telecommunication networks; assignment of spectrum; and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Sessions of Parliament:

• The power to convene a session of Parliament rests with the government.
• The decision is taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs,
• The decision of the Committee is formalised by the President, in whose name MPs are summoned to meet for a session.
• India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar.
• By convention, Parliament meets for three sessions in a year.
• The longest, the Budget Session, starts towards the end of January, and concludes by the end of April or first week of May.
• The session has a recess so that Parliamentary Committees can discuss the budgetary proposals.
• The second session is the three-week Monsoon Session, which usually begins in July and finishes in August.
• The parliamentary year ends with a three week-long Winter Session, which is held from November to December.

Prelims PYQ

Q. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2020)

1) The President of India can summon a session of the Parliament at such place as he/she think fit.

2) The Constitution of India provides for three sessions of the Parliament in a year, but it is not mandatory to conduct all three sessions.

3) There is no minimum number of days that the Parliament is required to meet in a year.

Which of the statement given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 2 and 3 only