CEC Bill, 75-year history of Parliament on ‘tentative agenda’ for next session
Finally, the government on Wednesday unveiled the ‘tentative agenda’ for the forthcoming special session of Parliament, scheduled to convene from September 18 to 22.
The ‘tentative list’ of legislative items for the 13th session of the 17th Lok Sabha includes the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, slated for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha. Both these Bills were approved by the Rajya Sabha on August 3 and were subsequently tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 4, 2023.
In the Rajya Sabha, the government will seek the passage of two Bills — the Post Office Bill, 2023, and the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023. These two Bills were introduced in the Rajya Sabha on August 10 and were not referred to the Standing Committee.
Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a Cabinet minister in the panel for selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners.
Additionally, a discussion is scheduled on the topic “Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – achievements, experiences, memories, and learnings.”
Notably, despite earlier speculation, there is no mention of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill in the ‘tentative list’ of business. Similarly, the proposal to rename India as Bharat also does not appear in the list of legislative items.The Post Office Bill 2023, if passed, would grant government employees the authority to open postal parcels in the interest of national security or public safety. It would also empower officers to redirect parcels to relevant authorities if there is suspicion of duty evasion. The Bill document states that Postal department officers would be exempt from any liability due to losses, misdeliveries, delays, or damages incurred while providing services.
