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Winter session unlikely to see GST breakthrough

Even as the government gets ready for Parliament’s winter session, which begins on Thursday, whether or not the constitution amendment Bill for implementation of the goods and services tax ( GST) will be debated and passed in the Rajya Sabha during this session remains uncertain. A meeting of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be held on Tuesday to make sure the Treasury benches are on the same page. Strategy meetings will also be held for floor coordination and the sequence in which Bills will be brought in the two houses, besides an all- party meeting before the session.
Among the Bills that are pending in the Rajya Sabha are the Child Labour ( Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012; the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 ( as reported by a select committee of the Rajya Sabha); the Prevention of Corruption ( Amendment) Bill, 2013, the Anti- Hijacking Bill, 2014; the GST Bill ( the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2014) as passed by the Lok Sabha and reported by the select committee of the Rajya Sabha; and the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015 ( to replace an ordinance).
The Bills that are pending in the Lok Sabha include the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development ( Amendment) Bill, 2015; the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015; the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015; the High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015; and the Electricity ( Amendment) Bill, 2014.
The first two days of the session will be devoted to paying tribute to BR Ambedkar, one of the founding fathers of the constitution, on his 125th birth anniversary.
Business Standard, New Delhi, 23rd Nov. 2015

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