With reference to the Indian Parliament, consider the following statements:
1. The percentage of bills referred to Committees has been steadily declining since the 14th Lok Sabha.
2. Indian constitution provides a fixed parliamentary calendar.
Which of the above statements is/are not correct?
Both 1 and 2
Incorrect AnswerNeither 1 nor 2
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
The summoning of Parliament is specified in Article 85 of the Constitution. The power to convene a session of Parliament rests with the government. The decision is taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. This decision is formalized by the President, in whose name MPs are summoned to meet for a session. During the first two decades of Parliament, Lok Sabha met for an average of a little more than 120 days a year. This has come down to approximately 70 days in the last decade.
India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar. By convention, Parliament meets for three sessions in a year the longest, being the Budget Session, the Monsoon Session, and the Winter Session. It is only stated in Article 85 of the constitution that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
The 14th and 15th Lok Sabha saw 60% and 71% of bills referred to committees. This number has dipped sharply to just 27% in the 16th Lok Sabha and just 11% in the 17th Lok Sabha (2019- 2021). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution has recommended the minimum number of sittings for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be fixed at 120 and 100 respectively
By: Parvesh Mehta ProfileResourcesReport error