No legislative business in 1st part of Budget Session: Govt to Naidu
With the Budget Session beginning, the Centre on Monday conveyed to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu that there will be no Government’s legislative business during the first part of Budget session which will break on February 11.
In a meeting of floor leaders conducted on a virtual mode, Naidu explained the importance of the session amidst the pandemic and thus time available for proceedings will be very limited.
Naidu appealed to all sections for cooperation for a productive Budget session and several leaders stressed on the need for disruption free session. 15 leaders of different parties spoke in the meeting after Naidu’s opening remarks.
When Naidu sought to know the Government’s legislative agenda for the session, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal stated that in the given time frame, there would be no legislative proposals during the first part of this session.
Many of the leaders echoed the same sense of priorities for the first part of this Budget session and called for a disruption free Budget session.
BJD Leader Prasanna Acharya urged all parties and members of respective parties not to disrupt Zero Hour and Question Hour since Chairman Naidu has been endeavouring to give opportunities to as many Members as possible there by enabling wider participation of Members of Rajya Sabha. Disruptions deny a large number of Members such opportunities of participation, he said.
Chairman Naidu noted that with only 23 hours available for taking up other items of business, it looks that there is little scope of taking up other items of business during the first part of Budget session and appealed to all leaders to keep this time horizon in mind while deciding on the agenda for the House.
Stating that Rajya Sabha loses an hour per each sitting due to staggered sitting of both Houses, Naidu said: “ The Budget session provides guidance to help the national economy recover from the impact of covid pandemic over the last two years which continues with the third wave. I earnestly appeal to all the leaders to enable a productive Budget session by urging members of respective parties so as to make meaningful contributions for economic recovery and all round development at this hour of challenge”.
Chairman Naidu informed that meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha will be held on Tuesday to allocate time for discussion on Motion of Thanks to President and Union
Budget.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Leader of Opposition in the upper house Mallikarjun Kharge could not attend the meeting done virtually but the government was represented by Piyush Goyal.