Nirendra Dev
New Delhi: The Parliament sessions are scheduled to begin on 19th July and conclude on 13th August.
Showing that the center wants a consensus approach during the Monsoon session of Parliament, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal called on senior parliamentarians Dr. Manmohan Singh, Sharad Pawar, and Anand Sharma.
Goyal is also the BJP's newly appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha replacing Thawarchand Gehlot, who has moved to Bengaluru as the new state Governor.
Sources said Goyal met former Prime Minister Dr. Singh on Friday and spent around half an hour with him.
Goyal also met Anand Sharma on Thursday.
The meetings and courtesy interactions with senior opposition leaders are being seen as a positive approach and an outreach exercise by the ruling side ahead of the Parliament session when certain key Bills would be taken up.
The Monsoon session of Parliament beginning, Monday, July 19, would continue till August 13.
A few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought in a drastic cabinet reshuffle, dropping 12 Ministers.
The government has listed 17 new bills for introduction in the session and will also have to take up three Ordinances issued during the inter-session period.
Among others, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill will also be taken up.
It seeks to criminalize abandoning/ exploiting children born through ART, trading/ importing human embryos and using intermediates to get donors.
Sources said, among the draft laws, the government is likely to present the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill as well.
About 440 Lok Sabha members and 218 members of the Rajya Sabha have reportedly been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Some lawmakers, however, could not take their second jab yet. The session will be held following COVID-19 protocols.
The Bills listed for introduction also include the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which replaces an Ordinance; the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill is also likely to figure in the proceedings. This draft law seeks to bring step-children, adoptive children, children-in-law under the definition of children for Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
