CCPA meet today for session date

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to finalise the dates for Parliament’s monsoon session.

In all probability the session is likely to be held from July 18 to August 13 though the final dates will be fixed by the CCPA which is headed by home minister Rajnath Singh.

Normally the monsoon session starts in the third week of July. The session is important as considerable legislative business is pending in both Houses of Parliament. As many as 45 Bill are pending in the Rajya Sabha and five in Lok Sabha.

The session comes in the wake of BJP’s impressive win in Assam and its increased vote share in both Kerala and West Bengal Assembly polls. The BJP has also managed to increase its tally in the Rajya Sabha following recent elections in some states for the Upper House.

The government, sources said, is keen to push through the crucial GST Bill in the coming session. The GST Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August last year.

With a number of regional parties supporting GST, the government’s floor managers feel that the Congress will get isolated on the issue during the monsoon session.

Another key bill is the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was moved in December last year but the discussion on it had remained inconclusive. In Lok Sabha, important pending bills include the Consumer Protection Bill 2015 and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015.