Parliament Winter Sessions Adjourned Sine Die, 10 Bills Passed

NEW DELHI:  The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on Wednesday, a day ahead of the scheduled date bringing an end to the Winter Session of Parliament which witnessed noisy protests by the opposition on issues such as price rise and the Lakhimpur Kheri violence among others. The Winter Session of Parliament, which had begun on November 29, was scheduled to end on Thursday (December 23).

The Upper House witnessed several disruptions during the session following the suspension of 12 opposition party members.

The Lok Sabha had 18 sittings during the session which lasted for 83 hours and 12 minutes. The overall productivity of the Lok Sabha was 82 percent, Om Birla said.

The government introduced 12 bills during the session, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill that seeks to increase the marriageable age for girls from 18 years to 21 years. The House referred four out of six contentious bills to parliamentary panels. Women and child development minister Smriti Irani announced in the Lok Sabha that the legislation to increase the minimum age for a woman to marry at 21, at par with men, should be sent to the standing committee related to the ministry. The amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act to a committee for was also sent for review. The electricity bill amendments that aim to de-license the power distribution sector and allow private sector players to compete with discoms, was halted as per the agreement with protesting farm unions.

10 Bills Passed by Both Houses

1. Election Laws (Amendment) Bill
2. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill 2021 (awaiting President’s nod)
3. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Amendment Bill 2021 (President assent given on Dec 21. Bill is now Act)
4. The Central Vigilance Commission Amendment Bill 20212021 (President assent given on Dec 21. Bill is now Act)
5. The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill
6. Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 (Presidential Assent given. Bill is now an Act.)
7. Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill 2020
8. The Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2019
9. Dam Safety Bill
10. The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (President Assent received on Dec 18. Bill is now an Act)

Bills Referred To Parliamentary Committee

1. Prohibition Of Child Marriage Amendment Bill
2. Mediation Bill 2021 (Before select committee)
3. The Chartered Accountants, Cost and works accountants and Company secretaries (Amendment) Bill
4. The Biological Diversity Amendment Bill 2021

Soon after laying of the listed papers and reports, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House sine die.

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