New Delhi [India]: The 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled to reconvene at 11 am on Friday. The House was adjourned earlier following disruptions after the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
With only one day remaining in the Winter Session, several key Bills are scheduled for introduction and discussion, along with the tabling of multiple committee reports.
In the day’s agenda, various Ministers are set to lay papers on the Table of the House. These include Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Ministry of Culture), Jitendra Singh (Ministry of Earth Sciences), Arjun Ram Meghwal (Ministry of Law and Justice), Prataprao Jadhav (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Jayant Chaudhary (Ministries of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Education), Jitin Prasada (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), Ramdas Athawale (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment), Ram Nath Thakur (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Shrimati Anupriya Patel (Ministries of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers), Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (Ministry of Rural Development), Sushri Shobha Karandlaje (Ministry of Labour and Employment), Kirti Vardhan Singh (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), B. L. Verma (Ministries of Consumer Affairs and Social Justice), Shantanu Thakur (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways), Sukanta Majumdar (Ministry of Education), and Shri Murlidhar Mohol (Ministry of Civil Aviation).
Several Bills are scheduled for introduction during the session. D Ravikumar is set to move for leave to introduce two Constitutional Amendment Bills, 2024, one proposing the insertion of a new Article 21B, and the other substituting a new article for Article 129.
Adv Dean Kuriakose will seek leave to introduce the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to amend Section 22 and related provisions.
HRI Shafi Parambil will move to introduce the Digital Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2024, amending sections 19 and 20, along with the National Commission for Fair Labour Practices Bill, 2024. Rajesh Verma will introduce the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill, 2024, which amends Section 2A and other relevant provisions.
The House is expected to continue discussions on key bills and policy measures in subsequent sittings.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it received the Lok Sabha’s nod.
Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill seeking to replace MGNREGA was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the bill will play an essential role in the welfare of the poor. He accused Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.
The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the Northeastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10.
Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to “dismantle rights-based welfare”. (ANI)
