PM pleads for making Par. Standing Committees role model

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Addressing floor leaders of parties in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on January 28, 2018, here  ahead of the Budget Session 2018 of Parliament beginning January 29, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said that Government gives huge importance to the issues raised by all political parties and exhorted all of them to collectively strive to create a constructive atmosphere in Budget Session to achieve National Good.

Modi encouraged all political parties to prevent tokenism in different Standing Committees of the Parliament and play a more constructive role to give concrete solutions to issues of national importance brought before the Committees. The Prime Minister urged all the leaders present to develop the Committee system of Parliament as a role model of Participative Democracy that may be adopted across State Legislatures in India, according to a PIB release.

A host of issues were brought up by the leaders of parties during the meeting. There was a consensus across party lines on ensuring smooth functioning of the Parliament without disruptions and deadlocks to be resolved through constructive discussions in both the Houses.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananthkumar, later briefing mediapersons, said that the Government has requested all parties, especially the opposition, for their co-operation for the smooth functioning of the House. The Minister informed that all parties were in favour of a productive Budget session. The Government is always ready to discuss on the floor of the House any issue as permitted under Rules of Procedure, he added.

Ananthkumar informed that the Budget Session 2018 of Parliament is scheduled to be held from January 29, 2018, and subject to exigencies of Government Business, the Session may conclude on April 6, 2018. During this period, both Houses of Parliament will be adjourned for recess on February 9, 2018, to reassemble on  March 5, 2018, to enable the Standing Committees to examine the Demands of Grants of various Ministries/ Departments and make their reports thereon.

The Minister said that the Session will provide a total of 31 sittings (8 sittings in First part and 23 sitiings in the Second part) spread over a period of 68 days. The Session will mainly be devoted to Financial Business relating to Union Budget for 2018-19 and discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s address. However, essential Legislative and other Business will also be taken up during the Session,  Ananthkumar informed.

The Minister added that the Economic Survey of India will be presented before Parliament on January 29 and the Union Budget for 2018-19 will be presented in Lok Sabha on February 1, 2018.

The all-Party meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics & Programme Implementation Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, River development and Ganga Rejuvenation Arjun Ram Meghwal, along with other Ministers.