Parliament Round-Up: VP Naidu's Farewell, 3 Bills Passed & Sine Die Adjournment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also bid farewell to Chairman of the House Venkaiah Naidu in the Rajya Sabha.

Both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were adjourned sine die on Monday, 8 August.

(Photo: iStock)

Both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were adjourned sine die on Monday, 8 August. A sine die adjournment means the conclusion of a meeting without setting a day to reconvene.

The Rajya Sabha saw several speeches, including one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bidding farewell to Chairman of the Upper House and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

PM Modi said that the Upper House's productivity increased 70 percent during Naidu's tenure and that the attendance of MPs also saw a rise.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the Rajya Sabha passed the Central Universities Amendment Bill, 2022, which sought to convert the National Rail and Transportation Institute into a central university.

Key Developments

• Former Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu made his final remarks in the House, saying, "My only appeal to them, to maintain decency, dignity, and decorum so that the image and respect of the House is maintained."

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while giving his farewell speech to the outgoing vice president, said that the Upper House's productivity increased 70 percent during Naidu's tenure and that the attendance of MPs also saw a rise.

• Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge also congratulated outgoing Chairman Naidu and stated that though they have differing ideologies, "this is not the time to complain because you have performed your responsibility under various difficulties and pressure.”

• Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien, during his speech for Naidu, hit out at PM Narendra Modi and said that Naidu would have tried hard to get the PM to perhaps answer one question during his tenure "but that did not happen."

• The Lok Sabha passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which sought to mandate the use of non-fossil energy sources such as biomass, ethanol, and green hydrogen.

• Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the Centre introducing the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in Parliament was an attack on the constitutional rights of the states. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, aims to allow non-discriminatory open access to distribution networks of power suppliers

• BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Lok Sabha raised the issue of "infiltration" of Bangladeshi Muslims in Jharkhand, demanding that the government carry out the National Population Register exercise and dismiss the Hemant Soren-led state government for their aide to "Islamisation" activities.

• The Rajya Sabha passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which sought to convert the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), deemed to be a university, into the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), a central university.

• The Lok Sabha also passed a bill to rename the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the objective of the amendment was to have world-class arbitration in the country

• The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die, four days ahead of its schedule.