Parliament's Winter Session At A Glance

The Winter Session of Parliament begins today at 11 AM.

This will be the second session of the 17th Lok Sabha, and will run until December 13, giving them an expected 20 sittings. The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha was the most productive in 20 years, passing 35 Bills over 37 sittings, with a 135 per cent productivity rate. 

In addition to the 20 sittings in this session, November 26 is Constitution Day, and there will be a special joint sitting of both Houses to mark the occasion. 

Today's session will open with obituaries to former Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Ram Jethmalani and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, after which the government is expected to push for the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill. 

Here are the key points to look out for: 

Currently, 43 Bills are pending in Parliament.

There will be 27 new Bills for introduction, consideration and passing. 

12 Pending Bills have been listed for consideration and passing. 

7 Bills are being put forth for withdrawal. 

There are a number of Bills that are likely to be taken up and given top most priority. 

They are: 

Citizenship Amendment Bill: 


Lapsed following the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. This law attempts to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan if they have fled their respective country due to religious persecution. The opposition has criticised the Bill as being discriminatory on religious grounds.



The Companies Bill:
Brings more focus on the ease of doing business, and amends the Companies Act 2013 to facilitate this. 



Personal Data Protection Bill: 
Proposes to provide protection and regulation of all aspects of personal data and promotion of digital economy. 



The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill: 


This is an ordinance being converted into a law, which bans the sale, manufacture and storage of e-cigarettes and similar products. 

Another ordinance being converted into a law is proposed by the Centre, which will reduce corporate tax rates for new and domestic manufacturing companies in India.