As many as 81 legislations have been lined up by the United Progressive Alliance government for the Winter Session of Parliament beginning on Thursday. However, with only 23 working days till the Lok Sabha winds up on December 21, the fate of several such legislations remains doubtful.
In a press conference, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal said the government will start the Winter Session with the Rubber (Amendment) Bill, which got stuck in the last session on technical grounds.
He pointed out that as many as 62 new Bills may be introduced during the session; many of them will be sent to the parliamentary committees for a thorough scrutiny, before they are presented in the Parliament.
The government will also push for the passage of six of the ten Bills pending in the Lok Sabha and 13 of the 36 Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha. Two pending Bills, including one on Foreign Trade Amendment, will be withdrawn.
Bansal declined to comment on whether the Liberhan Commission Report on the Babri Masjid demolition, which reportedly indicted Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani, will be tabled in Parliament during the session. The report was received by the government in July, during the Monsoon Session, but was not tabled in the Parliament.
Home Minister P Chidambaram claimed that the government will have to examine the bulky report and prepare an Action Taken Report first.
Explaining that he was yet to receive word from Chidambaram about the Liberhan Commission Report, Bansal said he would first have to ascertain whether the ATR was ready.
He, however, said the 13th ATR -- on the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Ketan Parikh's stock market scam -- will be tabled during the Winter Session.
Several major Bills will be tabled during the forthcoming session including the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill to make the declaration of judges' assets mandatory, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, two Constitution amendment bills for 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayats and urban local bodies, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Prevention of Corruption Bill.
Salaries and allowances of cabinet ministers may also be raised through the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill.
Bansal disclosed that the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill that lapsed with the dissolution of the last Lok Sabha will be re-introduced. He, however, declined to say if any major changes had been made in the revised draft.
The Insurance Bill and the Banking Regulation Bill, though pending in the Rajya Sabha since last year, will not be presented in the current session, since they are yet to be approved by the standing committees.
Six Bills introduced in the Rajya Sabha and eight introduced in the Lok Sabha are pending before the standing committees, Bansal added.
