Centre calls informal meeting of parties over Bills to be taken up in monsoon session

The Modi government on Wednesday called an informal meeting of parties, which have five or more members in Rajya Sabha, to have a discussion on the Bills to be taken up in the monsoon session.

ANI reported sources saying issues which political parties wanted to raise in the Business Advisory Committee will be taken up for discussion in the meeting. Talks will also be held on Bills to be passed on priority and those Bills can be sent for scrutiny. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and his deputy V Muraleedharan are taking part in the meeting. Leader of Opposition in the upper house Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress MP Anand Sharma and DMK leader T Siva are also present in the meeting.

After a long delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 18-day monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday with several precautionary measures in view of the pandemic. Rajya Sabha is meeting between 9 am till 1 pm while Lok Sabha sittings are taking place from 3 pm to 7 pm.

The government had said a total of 47 items (includes 45 Bills and two financial items) have been identified for being taken up during this session. The Modi government will table a total of eleven Bills replacing several ordinances that were passed in the course of the last six months which includes reforms in agriculture, labour laws and taxation. Some of these ordinances were cleared by the Union Cabinet as part of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' economic package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman May.

(With ANI inputs) (PTI Photo)

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