QUESTIONS RELATING TO LEGISLATION
What is a Bill?
A Bill is the draft of a legislative proposal brought before the House for its approval.
What are the different types of Bills?
Bills
initiated by Ministers are called Government Bills and those introduced by
Members who are not Ministers are known as Private Members’ Bills. Depending on
their contents, Bills may further be classified broadly into (a) Original Bills (Bills embodying new
proposals, ideas or policies); (b) Amending Bills (Bills which seek to modify,
amend or revise the existing Acts); (c) Consolidating Bills (Bills which seek
to consolidate existing laws on a particular subject; (d) Expiring Laws (Continuance) Bills (Bills
to continue an expiring Act); € Repealing Bills (Bills seeking to repeal
existing Acts); (f) Bills to replace Ordinances; (g) Constitution (Amendment)
Bills; and (h) Money and Financial Bills.
Who decides whether a Bill is an ordinary Bill or a Money Bill?
In case any question arises whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not, the decision of the Speaker, Lok Sabha, thereon, is final. When a Bill is held to be a Money Bill, the Speaker endorses a certificate thereon duly signed by the Speaker to that effect that it is a Money Bill before the Bill is sent to the Rajya Sabha or presented to the President for assent.
What is the difference between a Bill and an Act?
A Bill is a draft legislative proposal before the House. It becomes an Act only when passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President.
What are the various steps involved in the passage of a Bill?
The first stage consists of the introduction of the Bill which is done on a motion moved by either a Minister or a Member.
During the second stage, any of the following motions can be moved: that the Bill be taken into consideration; that it be referred to a Select Committee of the House; that it be referred to a Joint Committee of the two Houses; or that it be circulated for the purpose of eliciting opinion thereon. Thereafter, the Bill is taken up for clause-by-clause consideration as introduced or as reported by the Select/Joint Committee.
The third stage is confined to the discussion on the motion that the Bill be passed and the Bill is passed/rejected either by voting or voice vote (or returned to the Lok Sabha by the Rajya Sabha in the case of a Money Bill).
What is Budget?
Budget
is the `Annual Financial Statement’ or
the Statement of the Estimated Receipts and Expenditure of the Government of
India in respect of each financial year, presented to the Lok Sabha on such day
as the President may direct. A copy of
the Budget is laid in the Rajya Sabha soon after its presentation in the Lok
Sabha. The preparation and presentation
of the Budget for the approval of the Legislature is a constitutional
obligation on the part of the Government, both at the Centre and in the States.
When is the Budget Session of Parliament held?
The
Budget Session of Parliament is normally held during February to May of the
year. During this period, the Budget comes before the Parliament for its
deliberation, voting and approval; the Departmentally related Standing
Committees consider the Demands for Grants of Ministries/Departments and report
on the same to the Houses of Parliament.
Who presents the Budget in the House?
As per
tradition, the Budget Session usually begins in the last week of February and
continues till mid-May with a recess in between. However, for the first time in
the country’s legislative history, from 2017, the Budget Session was advanced
to 31 January. In a historic move, the Union Budget was presented on 1 February
2017, almost a month ahead of the usual date in the past, to enable the
Parliament to avoid a Vote on Account and pass a single Appropriation Bill for
the year, before the close of the financial year.
#Integrated budget:
In yet
another significant development implemented from 2017 was the presentation of
an integrated Budget, that is, the merger of the Railways Budget with the
General Budget, thereby discontinuing a 92-year old practice of presentation of
two separate budgets.
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