The Opposition is expected to raise issues of the Union government’s Covid-19 management and rising fuel prices in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to commence from July 19.
It will be the first session of Parliament ever since the second Covid wave wreaked havoc in the country.
Ahead of the session, Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will convene a meeting of various political leaders on Saturday at his official residence at 5pm, sources told PTI adding that over 40 leaders of different parties and ministers have so far confirmed their participation.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal met senior Opposition leaders including former prime minister and Congress veteran Manmohan Singh, his party colleague Anand Sharma and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.
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Sources further told PTI, it has also been suggested that the ministers of state, especially the newly-appointed ones, spend more time in Rajya Sabha to get equipped with parliamentary procedures, rules and presentation of speeches.
They can go to Lok Sabha when there is any roster duty or their respective legislative business is listed, they said.
Talking about the legislative business for the session, the sources said, around 17 new bills are listed, while four are pending in Lok Sabha and three in Rajya Sabha.
Three of the bills seek to replace corresponding ordinances issued recently. An ordinance has to be laid before both Houses of parliament and shall cease to operate at the expiration of six weeks or 42 days from the reassembly of Parliament.
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One of the ordinances was issued on June 30 prohibiting any agitation and strike by anyone engaged in the essential defence services.
The Essential Defence Services Ordinance 2021 came in the backdrop of the announcement by major federations of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to go on indefinite strike from the later part of July to protest the government's decision to corporatise the OFB.
The Essential Defence Service Bill, 2021 has been listed to replace the ordinance, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued on July 12.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021 is another bill that seeks to replace an ordinance.
According to the government, the ordinance was brought to provide a permanent solution and establish a self-regulated, democratically monitored mechanism for tackling air pollution in the NCR and adjoining areas, rather than limited ad-hoc measures.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021 also seeks to replace an ordinance issued recently.
The proposed bill seeks to provide speedier, cost-effective, semi-formal and less disruptive framework for insolvency resolution of corporate debtors in distress.
(With PTI inputs)
