NDA Government Readies over 20 Bills for Budget Session

NEW DELHI: The NDA Government is readying more than 20 pieces of legislation, including two anti-corruption Bills and six others to replace ordinances, for Parliament’s Budget session scheduled to begin on February 23. The Bills were finalised on Monday at meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Sadananda Gowda and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani as well as secretaries of various ministries.

“The ministries planning to bring in Bills to replace ordinances have been asked to give notices by tomorrow evening,” Naidu said after the meeting.

Naidu said six Bills to replace ordinances were ready and that the government’s aim was to push the Bills’ passage in the first half of the Session which will run till March 20. uring the meeting, the government identified over 20 Bills for introduction, consideration and passage. The government will also push the Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment) Bill and the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act (Amendment) Bill. While the Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment)is pending in the Rajya Sabha, amendments to the Lokpal Act are yet to be introduced in either House of Parliament.

The Bills ready for either introduction or passage include the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014; Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015; Warehousing Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2015; Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014 and Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2015,  (regarding the AP Legislative Council).