Parliament Budget Session Day 13: The GST bills will be discussed in Parliament today and tomorrow.
The GST bills will be discussed in Parliament today and tomorrow in what is expected to be an intense debate between the government and the Opposition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of his council of ministers today to get them on the same page on the Goods and Services Tax. The meeting will be followed by a marathon 7-hour debate in the Lok Sabha tomorrow over the supporting bills to the GST, which were presented in parliament yesterday by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The government wants the bills passed in Lok Sabha by Thursday, after which they would be presented in Rajya Sabha. Parliament's approval to the four supporting bills - the Central GST, Integrated GST, Union Territories GST and the compensation law - will allow the government to roll out GST by its July 1 deadline. Yesterday, the Congress' Kapil Sibal had accused the government for making amendments to the Finance Bill, saying, that these provisions seek to give a push to crony capitalism, weaken the federal structure of the country, allow the government to snoop on citizens and instill fear in the business community. The Opposition has also criticised the government to bring the supporting GST bills as money bills, which means that the Rajya Sabha's suggestions are not binding on the Lok Sabha, which can choose to accept or reject them. The government however wants a full debate in the Rajya Sabha to stave off criticism by the opposition that it is trying to circumvent the upper house, where it is in a minority. The GST, considered the biggest tax reform since Independence, is expected to boost GDP growth by up to 2 per cent.
Here are the live updates from day 13 of the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament:
BJPs Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank discussing the The National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 1500 hours as Oppn members continue to protest over vacancies in Commissions on minorities, SCs, STs and OBCs.
At a key strategy meeting of Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha chaired by party vice president Rahul Gandhi, it was decided to raise the concerns of the public on the GST Bills and seek necessary amendments.
The issue of communal violence in a village of Gujarat was raised in the Lok Sabha by Trinamool Congress member, Saugata Roy.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 1400 hours as Oppn protests continue.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today briefed lawmakers about the four GST bills introduced in Lok Sabha which will be taken up for consideration tomorrow.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan says, a notice for privilege motion by the Shiv Sena on its MP Ravindra Gaikwad being barred from flying by airlines is under consideration.
Rajya Sabha adjourned for the third time till 1230 hours as Oppn protests over vacancies in statutory panels continue: Press Trust of India