parliament

Article 79

• The Parliament of the Union consists of the [[President]] and two Houses known respectively as the Council of States ([[Rajya Sabha]]) and the House of the People ([[Lok Sabha]]).

The Parliament holds THREE sessions in a year.

1. Budget session (February-May)
2. Monsoon Session (July-August)
3. Winter Session (November-December)

• Women members in the Rajya Sabha urged the Government to ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
• The Bill, which proposes 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State legislatures, was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but has been stuck in the lower house for nine years.
• The Constitution ([[108th Amendment]]) Bill, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Bill, needs to be approved by the Lok Sabha in order to become law.

Parliament has 2 important powers and functions

1. Legislative
2. Financial.

The legislative powers are for law making and the financial powers are to prepare [[Money Bill]] as called as Budget.

Also the parliament has electoral functions with regard to elect the President and the Vice-President of India.

• The Parliament has judicial function also on the matters of the proposals for the removal of the President, Vice – President, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts and the process of removal is called ‘impeachment’.
• It is the duty of the President to summon the Parliament and it must have not less than two sessions in a year.
• Every year, at the commencement of the first session of the parliament, the President delivers his special address which would be the future course of action of the parliament in view of giving framework for new policies, programmes and initiatives of the government.
• The cabinet, both individually and collectively is accountable to and removable by the Loksabha.

Powers and Privileges of Members of Parliament

1. Freedom of speech in Parliament and immunity of a member from any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in parliament or any Committee thereof.
2. Immunity to a person from proceedings in any court in respect of the publication by under the authority of either House of Parliament of any report, paper, votes or proceedings.
3. Prohibition on the court to inquire into proceedings of parliament.
4. Immunity to a person from proceedings in any court in respect of the publication in Newspaper of a substantially true report of any proceedings of either House of Parliament unless the publication is proved to have been made with malice.
5. Freedom from arrest of members in civil cases during the continuance of the session of the House and forty days before the commencement and forty days after its conclusion.
6. Exemption of a member from service of legal process and arrest within the precincts of the House.

Premier of Madras Presidency, C. Rajaji presenting his first budget in 1937. Location is Madras Legislative Assembly, Senate House, Chepauk Campus of Madras University, Date 1937”

The first Assembly (1952-1957) under the constitution of India discussed the scheme of elementary education launched by the [[Rajaji]] Government and criticized by many including a few in the Congress party that it would perpetuate caste-based social hierarchy.

After [[Kamaraj]] succeeded him, Education Minister C. Subramaniam in May 1954 informed the House that the scheme would be dropped.

The Rajaji days are remembered for landmark laws to protect tenants of farmlands and landless agriculturists.

In 1967, the DMK came to power with C.N. Annadurai as Chief Minister. The Hindu Marriage Act was amended to recognize “self-respect marriages” or those marriages free of religious rituals.

His successor and five-time Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, piloted several Bills and moved numerous motions. In his last bill (2006-2011), reservation were made for Muslims Location is Madras Legislative Assembly, Senate House, Chepauk Campus of Madras University, Date 1937” within the quota of Backward Classes and Arundathiyars within the reservation of Scheduled Castes.

The 10-year-long rule (1977-1987) of the Government, headed by M.G.R of the All India ADMK, was noted for various measures in the area of revenue administration.

Notably, the system of hereditary village officers such as “karnam” was abolished at one stroke.

He upgraded the [[Mid-Day Meal Scheme]] into [[Nutritious Meal Scheme]].

After the Supreme Court delivered the [[Mandal Commission]] judgment in November 1992 for reservation in education and employment at 50 percent, the Assembly responded through legislation aimed at safeguarding the existing 69 percent quota for Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.

[[Sankarlinganar]]

MPs paid well, but show less productivity: citizens’ report

• In 2010-12, Lok Sabha worked for average of less than 4 hours a day during 227 sittings in 852 hours
• India’s parliamentarians are one of the best paid legislators across the world but they lag when it comes to performing legislative business, says the National Social Watch’s “Citizens’ Report on Governance and Development 2013.
• In terms of absolute amount, the value of Indian MPs’ pay and perks is higher than [that of] their counterparts in Singapore, Japan and Italy.
• It is 4½ times higher than that of Pakistan; and is about 68 times higher than the per capita income of the country
• Highlighting the low productivity of parliamentarians, the report points out that the 9 sessions during 2010-12 saw the Lok Sabha working for an average of less than 4 hours of work a day during its 227 sittings in 852 hours, which is less than 2/3 of scheduled six hours per day.
• In the process, about 577 hours have been lost in disruptions and forced adjournments.