Centre borrows time in House, House may sit 2 days more to pass key bills
New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA government on Wednesday decided to extend the first phase of the Budget Session by two days “if required” to enable passage of the Coal and Mines and Minerals Bills, which have been cleared by the respective select committees.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the cabinet committee on parliam-entary affairs. In case of such an extension, both Houses of Parliament will have sittings on Monday and Tuesday next week.
Sources said the government would have no problem with extending the session if need be. The ministers felt that two more sittings might be needed as the Coal and Mines and Minerals Bills would have to be passed in the Rajya Sabha. In case the Rajya Sabha makes any amendment to the bills, then they have to come to the Lok Sabha for further clearance.
Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told the CCPA members that the reports of the two select committees of the Rajya Sabha were tabled in the House on Wednesday. “In case of any amendments to these two bills, the same needs to be taken up in the Lok Sabha,” he said.
While making it clear to members that all efforts would be made to complete the pending business by March 20, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs that in view of the business to be transacted and the time available, some more time may be needed.
“The CCPA members agreed with the proposal of Venkaiah Naidu and decided that if required, sittings of both Houses of Parliament may be continued on March 23 and 24, 2015,” a source said.
The two reform measures to introduce auctions for the allocation of minerals may clear the Rajya Sabha hurdle given that a majority in the two select committees that went into the Bills have made no changes in them, though some members have dissented.
Meanwhile, the Coal Mines (Special Provision) Bill, 2015 and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amend-ment Bill 2015 will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha soon. Only some members of the Opposition, including Congress, CPM and DMK, have submitted dissent notes.
The Rajya Sabha Select Committees on Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill and Coal Mines Bill on Wednesday gave their nod to the proposed legislations without any change, leading the Congress to strongly protest over the measures being rushed without taking on board the concerns of stakeholders.
The Congress forced adjournment for ten minutes in the Upper House as soon as it met for the day as protesting members trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans, after the reports of the two Select Committees were presented in the House. The House was adjourned for ten minutes.
The 19-member panel on the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015 that provides for allocating coal mines through auction, referred the Bill to the House for passage without any change.
The report also contained five dissenting notes from Digvijaya Singh, P. Bhattacharya and Rajeev Shukla (all Congress), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and K.N. Balagopal (CPM).
