New Delhi: The next session of Rajya Sabha will begin from April 23, three days after the second half of the budget session of Lok Sabha commences on April 20, a Rajya Sabha communique said.
"The President has summoned the Rajya Sabha to meet on Thursday, the 23rd April, 2015, at New Delhi. Subject to exigencies of business, the Session is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, the 13 May 2015," a communique issued by Secretary General of the Upper House Shumser K Sheriff said.
The 235th session of Rajya Sabha begins amid government's renewed efforts to reach out to regional parties for passage of land bill, which is facing stiff opposition from non-NDA parties.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday decided to recommend the convening of Rajya Sabha from April 23 to May 13 to take forward the business relating to Budget session.
The 234th session of Rajya Sabha, which was the first part of the Budget session, was prorogued on March 28. The Lok Sabha meets as scheduled earlier from April 20 and will conclude on May 8.
Sources in the government said both the Houses will have 13 sittings each in the second part of the Budget session. May 1 and May 4 are holidays on account of May day and Buddha Purnima respectively.
They said while the government had no problem in beginning the new session of the Upper House from April 20 itself, it was advanced for three days in order to give the minimum 15 days period to members to give their notices of questions under Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Rajya Sabha.
The budget session of Rajya Sabha was cut short on March 28 as the House was prorogued to pave the way for re-promulgation of the Land Acquisition Ordinance.
The bill on Land Acquisition, which provides for amending the Act of 2013, was passed by Lok Sabha during the first half of the budget session but it got stuck due to opposition in Rajya Sabha where ruling NDA is woefully short of numbers.
Under the Constitution, at least one of the Houses has to be prorogued to enable the government to issue an Ordinance.
The Land Acquisition Ordinance, which was promulgated in December last, was to lapse on April 5 because the bill could not be passed by Parliament.
The Ordinance was reissued last Friday and carried the nine official amendments to the earlier Ordinance agreed to by the government in Lok Sabha. Before that the government had on March 27 decided to prorogue the Rajya Sabha after a meeting of the CCPA.
