The first part of the Budget session yielded a total of 10 sittings of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. In the second part of the Session, there were 15 sittings of both Houses. During the entire Budget Session, in total, there were 25 sittings. Demands for Grants of individual Ministries of Railways, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Tribal Affairs, Tourism, Culture and Health and Family Welfare could not be taken up due to continuous disruptions in the Lok Sabha.
Appropriation Bills relating to the Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23; Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 and Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 in respect of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after their adoption were also introduced, considered and passed on March 21 in the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2023 on 24 March.
In the Rajya Sabha, the working of the ministries of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Textiles, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rural Development, Cooperation, Railways and New and Renewable Energy could not be discussed due to continuous disruptions in the House.
The Rajya Sabha returned the Appropriation Bills related to Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 and Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 in respect of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir; Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 and Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 in respect of the Union on March 27.
Rajya Sabha also returned the Finance Bill, 2023 with a recommendation for an amendment given by the Government on March 27, which the Lok Sabha agreed to on the same day. As such the entire Financial Business was completed in the Houses of Parliament before 31March.
One Bill namely “the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023” amends the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which envisages removing ambiguity in the applicability of the provisions of said Act, promoting plantation in non-forest areas and conserving the forests was referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament after motions to this effect were adopted in both Houses after its introduction in Lok Sabha.
During this Session, the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which provides for augmentation of Competition regulation in India, was also passed by both Houses of Parliament.
