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A meeting of the Central government with floor leaders of all political parties was held under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh on Sunday, before the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament.
Rajnath welcomed all the leaders in the first meeting of the floor leaders of both Houses of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha. In total, the meeting was attended by fifty-five Leaders from forty-one political parties. In his opening address, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju informed that the Budget Session of Parliament will commence on July 22 and subject to exigencies of government business, the session may conclude on August 12. The Session will provide 16 sittings spread over 22 days. Rijiju also informed that this session will mainly be devoted to the financial business relating to the Union Budget for 2024-25 which will be presented to Lok Sabha on July 23. "However, essential legislative and other business will also be taken up during the session," Rijiju said. The Economic Survey of India will be laid on the table of the Houses of Parliament on Monday. The Budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2024 will also be presented on July 23. Tentatively six items of legislative business and three items of financial business have been identified for being taken up during this session. The Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs further stated that the Government is always ready to discuss on the floor of the House, any issue as permitted under Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business by respective Presiding Officers. He also requested all party leaders for active cooperation and support for the smooth functioning of the two Houses of Parliament. The meeting was also attended by Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, JP Nadda, who is also Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law & Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Dr. L. Murugan. Concluding the meeting, Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Defence, thanked all the leaders for raising and drawing attention to important issues highlighted in the meeting which have been noted. He also stated that we should maintain the sanctity of the Parliament during its proceedings. "The Government is ready for discussion on all these issues subject to the rules of the respective Houses of Parliament and the decisions of the respective Presiding Officers," he said. The list of bills that are likely to be taken up during the 2nd session of the 18th Lok Sabha and 265th session of Rajya Sabha includes-- the Finance (No. 2) Bill, 2024, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Boilers Bill, 2024, the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2024, the Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2024. Concerning financial business, the house will see a general discussion on the Union Budget, 2024-25, Discussion and Voting on Demands for Grants for 2024-25, and introduction, consideration, and passing/return of the related Appropriation Bill and Discussion and Voting on Demands for Grants of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for the financial year 2024-25 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related Appropriation Bill. After the all-party meeting, Revolutionary Socialist Party leader N.K. Premachandran, said, "Opposition has to be provided sufficient time, to highlight the issues of the opposition. The Yatra issue in Uttar Pradesh and mob lynching have to be discussed in the Parliament." JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha asserted that Bihar should get the status of a special state. "Bihar should get the status of a special state, this has been the demand of our party (JDU) since the beginning. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has held big rallies for this demand. If the government feels that there is a problem in doing this, then we have demanded a special package for Bihar. We have also raised the problem of floods in Bihar... these are the two main issues we have raised," he said. Congress MP K. Suresh reiterated the issue of the post of the Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha. "We raised the issue (about Deputy Speaker)...The Deputy Speaker position is the right of the opposition and the Deputy Speaker should be elected in this session. Kanwar Yatra, terrorist attacks in J&K and the train accidents were discussed in the meeting," Suresh said. AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that he raised the issue of the misuse of central agencies citing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. "ED and CBI are being misused openly, Kejriwal ji has been kept in jail... I raised this entire issue, our 2 ministers have been arrested and kept in jail, I also raised that issue and this matter of installing nameplates is against the Constitution of India. This is against the Dalits, backwards, tribals, minorities of this country," he said. (ANI)
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