Hello brilliant aspirants,
Welcome back! In our last post, we got to know the two houses of our Parliament: the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. We understood their structure, composition, and key differences.
But having the houses is just the first step. How do they actually function? How does an idea transform into a law that governs our nation? Today, we'll demystify the inner workings of the Parliament by exploring its sessions, key procedures, and the journey of a bill. This is where the real action happens!
When Does Parliament Meet? The Sessions
The President summons each House of Parliament to meet. According to the Constitution, the gap between two sessions cannot be more than six months. In India, the Parliament typically holds three sessions in a year:
Budget Session: (Longest) From February to May.
Monsoon Session: From July to September.
Winter Session: (Shortest) From November to December.
Key Parliamentary Terms You Must Know
Walking into Parliament, you'd hear some unique terms. Let's decode the most important ones for your exam.
Quorum (Article 100): This is the minimum number of members required to be present in the House to conduct business. The Quorum is one-tenth (1/10th) of the total number of members of the House. If there's no quorum, the Speaker/Chairman must adjourn the House.
Question Hour: This is usually the first hour of every parliamentary sitting. Members of Parliament ask questions to ministers about their ministries' workings, holding the government accountable.
Zero Hour: An Indian parliamentary innovation. It starts immediately after the Question Hour and is not formally mentioned in the Rules of Procedure. During this time, MPs can raise matters of urgent public importance without any prior notice.
Joint Sitting (Article 108 - ⭐ Exam Hotspot): If there's a deadlock between the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over an ordinary bill, the President can summon a joint sitting of both Houses to resolve the disagreement. The sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Joint sittings cannot be held for Money Bills or Constitutional Amendment Bills.
The Journey of a Bill: How a Law is Born
This is the core legislative function of the Parliament. A proposed law is called a Bill. It goes through several stages to become an Act (a law).
Types of Bills:
Ordinary Bill: Concerned with any matter other than financial subjects.
Money Bill (Article 110 - ⭐ Very Important): This deals with matters like taxation, government borrowing, and expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.
Key Fact: A Money Bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has the final authority to decide if a bill is a Money Bill.
The Rajya Sabha has very limited powers here; it cannot reject or amend a Money Bill. It must return the bill within 14 days.
Constitutional Amendment Bill: Seeks to amend the provisions of the Constitution. It must be passed in each House by a special majority.
The Stages of a Bill:
First Reading: The bill is introduced in either House.
Second Reading: This is the most crucial stage, involving detailed discussion and clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.
Third Reading: The bill is put to a vote for final acceptance or rejection.
Bill in the Other House: Once passed by one House, it goes through the same three stages in the other House.
President's Assent: After being passed by both Houses, the bill is presented to the President for his assent. Once the President gives his assent, the bill becomes an Act.
We've now seen how the magnificent structure of Parliament comes to life through its procedures and legislative work. From asking questions in Question Hour to passing laws that shape our future, this is the nerve centre of our democracy.
But what about the laws at the state level? And what about our justice system? In our next post, we will shift our focus to the third pillar of our democracy: The Judiciary, starting with the apex court, the Supreme Court of India.
Keep up the excellent work!
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