(1.1.2003 to 31.3.2004)
Legislative:
* The Lok Sabha
held 79 sittings and the Rajya Sabha held 78 sittings spread over three
sessions.
* Railway Budget
for 2003-04 was presented on February 26, 2003 and General Budget for 2003-04 on
February 28, 2003. (Appendix-VI)
* Interim Budget
(Railways) for 2004-05 was presented on
January 30, 2004 and the Interim Budget (General) for 2004-05 was presented
on February 3, 2004. (Appendix-VI)
* Eight
Ordinances were promulgated.
* Sixty-four
bills were passed by both Houses of Parliament.
*
Forty-three government bills lapsed on the dissolution of the Thirteenth
Lok Sabha in terms of Article 107(5) of the Constitution.
*
Motion of No-Confidence moved by Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition
in Lok Sabha on 18 August, 2003 was
discussed on August 18 & 19,
2003 and was negated (result: Ayes
- 189, Noes - 314).
* Thirteenth Lok
Sabha was dissolved on February 6, 2004
*
At the end of the year 2002, 351 matters were pending in Lok Sabha
and 237 matters were pending in Rajya Sabha. During the period from
January 1, 2003 to February 5, 2004, 798 matters under Rule 377 were raised in
the Lok Sabha and 469 special mentions under Rule 180A-E were raised in the
Rajya Sabha. Out of these 898 matters in the Lok Sabha and 581 special
mentions in the Rajya Sabha have already been replied to by the
ministries/departments concerned.
*
On the dissolution of the Thirteenth Lok Sabha on February 6, 2004,
251 matters pending in the Lok Sabha, lapsed.
*
A Half-day Workshop of Joint Secretaries on Managing Legislative Business
was conducted on October 28, 2003 in collaboration with the Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Fifty-six joint secretaries/senior officers from different
ministries/departments of central government attended the Workshop.
*
The Ministry conducted a Training Course in Parliamentary Practice and
Procedure for the officers of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,
Government of India, in which 23 senior officers received training.
*
The Ministry also conducted a Training Course in Parliamentary Practice
and Procedure for the officers of the state governments in which eight officers
from five states received training.
Consultative
Committees:
*
Due to bifurcation of the Ministry of Coal and Mines
into ministries of: (1) Coal; and (2) Mines on 29.01.2003, the Consultative
Committee for the Ministry of Coal and Mines was re-notified as Consultative
Committee for the Ministry of Coal (Consultative Committee for the Ministry of
Mines could not be constituted). But consequent upon Ministry of Mines being
made a part of the Ministry of Coal and Mines on 9.01.2004, the Consultative
Committee for the Ministry of Coal was renamed as the Consultative Committee for
the Ministry of Coal and Mines.
* Consultative committees of Members of Parliament
attached to various ministries/departments held 120 meetings including 15
meetings held outside Delhi.
*
The Consultative Committee for Ministry of Steel visited Bhillai and
Rourkela Steel Plants from September 3 to 5, 2003.
* A
meeting of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs was also
held outside Delhi during recess period of the Budget Session - on 8.3.2003 at
Takenpur (Madhya Pradesh)
* Five
sub-committees of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation
were constituted on 6.1.2003 for a term of three months. The term of these
sub-committees was extended for another three months. Subsequently, two
Sub-committees were given extension for a second time for another three months.
* Sub-committees
of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation held 12
meetings including two meetings held outside Delhi.
* Informal
consultative committees for two railway zones also held one meeting each.
Nomination of Members of Parliament on various Government Bodies:
* The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs nominated 81 Members of
Parliament (46 Lok Sabha and 35 Rajya Sabha) on various government bodies,
councils, boards etc. and 68 Members of Parliament (32 Lok Sabha and 36 Rajya
Sabha) were nominated on various Hindi salahakar samitis
* The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
suggested/recommended 33 members of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) for nomination by
the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on various committees, bodies, organisations etc.
Youth Parliament Competitions:
* The Ministry conducts
Youth Parliament competitions for the benefit of the student community.
* Youth Parliament
sessions of 67 schools which participated in the 38th Youth
Parliament Competition for Senior Secondary Schools under the Government of
Delhi and N.D.M.C. were held. Evaluation
work in respect of the Sixth National Youth Parliament Competition for
Universities/Colleges is likely to be completed soon.
* The 16th
National Youth Parliament Competition for Kendriya Vidyalayas and the Seventh
National Youth Parliament Competition for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are in
progress.
* Orientation courses
in respect of three Youth Parliament Competition Schemes were held at - (i) New
Delhi for Delhi and N.D.M.C. Schools; (ii)
Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) for Kendriya
Vidyalayas and (iii) Morigaon
(Assam), Dausa (Rajasthan) and Bangalore (Karnataka) for Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalayas.
* During
the period from 1956 to March 2004, 76773 assurances
were given by the Ministers in Lok Sabha and 46691 assurances in Rajya Sabha.
This includes 811 assurances recorded in Lok Sabha and 429 assurances in
Rajya Sabha during the period under report and upto March, 2004.
Out of these, 74831 assurances (97.47 percent) pertaining to the Lok
Sabha and 44,660( 95.65 percent) assurances pertaining to Rajya Sabha have
already been fulfilled by the Government.
* In
addition to the above, part implementation reports relating to 29 assurances in
Lok Sabha and 30 assurances in
Rajya Sabha were also laid during the period under report.
Government Sponsored
Indian Goodwill Delegation of Parliamentarians:
* This
Ministry sponsored two Goodwill Delegation of Parliamentarians, led by the
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs to (i) Egypt and South Africa; and (ii)
Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.
* This Ministry invited and hosted one Goodwill
Delegation from the Peoples Republic of China.
Nomination
of Members of Parliament on various Delegations going Abroad:
* The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs nominated/approved
nominations of 10 Members of Parliament on various government delegations
visiting abroad.
Meeting with Leaders of various Political Parties in Parliament: