Rajya Sabha clears four bills in 30 minutes

 Rajya Sabha, which managed to transact very little parliamentary business since the starting of the session on February 5, passed four bills without debate in half an hour on Wednesday.

Despite some MPs protesting against Telangana Bill, the Upper House passed the Street Vendors Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Bill, 2013, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agriculture University Bill, 2012, National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill and the Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Bill, 2013.

Moving the Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Bill, 2013, for passage, Minister of State for Home R P N Singh said keeping in view the high constitutional office that a governor holds, it is proposed to provide secretarial assistance to ex-governors.

Former governors at present do not get any pension or post-retirement benefits except medical facilities as per rules issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

V P Singh Badnore (BJP) moved an amendment to the bill to replace secretarial assistance with personal assistance, but was rejected by a voice vote. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in August last year.

There are provisions that the person will not be eligible for such secretarial assistance for the period during which he is re-appointed to the office of governor or elected to Parliament or the state legislature or appointed to any office of profit under the Union or a state government.