Naidu asks ministries to buck up for Budget session

Bracing to face a belligerent Opposition, the Modi government on Monday raced to put together the legislative agenda for the upcoming Budget session of Parliament.

Top on the agenda for the Centre is conversion of six ordinances, including one relaxing land acquisition law, into Acts of Parliament. The government has a small five-day window to convert the ordinances into Acts after disposing of the Motion of Thanks for President’s address, the discussion on general and railway Budgets during the upcoming session beginning February 23.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, at a meeting of senior cabinet colleagues and officials, directed the ministries concerned to give notices to the Parliament Secretariat by Tuesday on the Bills they plan to introduce to replace ordinances.

The Modi government had opted the ordinance route to usher in economic reforms such as increase in FDI in the insurance sector, amendments to the stringent land acquisition law, coal block allocations and allowing e-rickshaws in the national capital after the Opposition stalled legislative business in the Rajya Sabha during the winter session.

Emboldened by the convincing defeat of the BJP in the Delhi elections, the Opposition is raring to corner the government, particularly on softening the Land Acquisition Act.

Naidu has also convened a meeting of all political parties in Parliament on February 22 to seek their cooperation for a smooth passage of the budget session. The government also plans to introduce at least 13 Bills, including the Right to Services and Grievance Redress, amendments to the Whistleblowers Protection Act, a Bill providing for a single river dispute commission, changes to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.