LS Speaker Birla chairs all-party meeting ahead of Parliament's Monsoon session

New Delhi, July 16: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held an all party meeting on Saturday, two days ahead of the start of the Monsoon session of the Parliament.

The Speaker briefed the leaders on the preparations related to the session which begins on July 18.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, DMK MP TR Balu, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP MP Arjun Ram Meghwal, YSRCP MP PV Mithunreddy, RLJP MP Pashupati Kumar Paras and other party MPs were among those present at the meeting called Speaker Om Birla. The central government will seek to push several legislations during the monsoon session and its legislative agenda includes 24 bills for passage, sources said.

The Opposition demanded a discussion on the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, unemployment and farmers' issues in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said after the all-party meeting.

The meeting was held at Parliament premises in the evening and was attended by floor leaders of several political parties. "We have demanded that discussion should be held on Agnipath, unemployment and issues related to farmers and sufficient time be given to the Opposition to raise these issues in the House," Chowdhury told reporters later.

The first day of the monsoon session will see voting for the presidential election. Some of the bills that are in the pending list include The Indian Antarctica Bill, 2022. The bill is pending in the Lok Sabha.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was passed by Lok Sabha and is yet to be passed by Rajya Sabha. The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 is pending in Lok Sabha, The Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019 and The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021 are also pending in Lok Sabha.

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 (in respect of State of UP - amendment regarding change of district name to be approved by Cabinet) was introduced in Lok Sabha in March 2022.

The new bills to be newly introduced in the Parliament during the Monsoon session include The Central Universities Amendment Bill, 2022. The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022 is also a new bill and was sent for printing on Thursday. The other bills on the government agenda include Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019, (in respect of State of Assam), The Mediation Bill, 2021 (with Standing Committee chaired by Shri Sushil Kumar Modi); The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (report of Standing Committee under examination) and the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019 (report of Standing Committee under examination). The monsoon session of parliament will conclude on August 12.