The 17th Lok Sabha: Oath-taking begins; Union Budget, Triple Talaq bill remain top priority

pro-tem speaker Virendra Kumar.

On June 19, the election for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will take place. The election will be followed by a joint sitting of both Houses of the parliament on June 20, where President Ram Nath Kovind will deliver an address.

The Union Budget will be presented on July 5 by India’s first female Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at 11 am.

PM Modi has invited the heads of all parties who have an MP either in the Lower House or the Rajya Sabha to a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the ‘one nation, one election’ policy.

Women constitute 14.8 percent of the House, the highest ever percentage of female members in the Lok Sabha. The 17th Lok Sabha has 78 women MPs, a steady improvement from the 61 women MPs in the previous Lok Sabha.

The Modi government will likely push the Triple Talaq bill as part of its key legislative agenda for the 17^th Lok Sabha. The previous bill lapsed because it was not passed by the Rajya Sabha, despite getting cleared by the Lok Sabha. The Modi government is expected to command a majority in the Rajya Sabha by next year, which should help the current regime to turn it into a law.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by the 16^th Lok Sabha, granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, the bill lapsed after it was unable to be passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Modi government remains committed to the passing of this bill, in an attempt to help Hindus and other minorities move to India from neighbouring Muslim majority countries. After the controversial bill saw an eruption of protests in the north-east, Modi assured that protection to Assamese language, culture and identity will be ensured while considering the bill again.

The government may also table a bill to bring about labour law reforms in a proposed amalgamation of 44 labour acts into four labour codes. These reforms are required for industrial growth and the ease of doing business in India, providing the Modi government an opportunity to boost job creation.

Other legislations include a bill to permit the use of Aadhar numbers as identity proof and a Medical Council bill to promote transparency in governance of medical education. Additionally, a motor vehicles bill to increase the penalties for traffic rule violation will also be on the agenda.