Winter Session of Parliament to commence from November 16; 15 new bills to be introduced

New Delhi:The month-long Winter Session of Parliament is set to begin from November 16 during which the issue of surgical strikes in PoK is likely to dominate the proceedings. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affair (CCPA) met here this evening and recommended that the session would commence from November 16 and end on December 16.

The Winter Session dates have been advanced as in the past it was normally convened in the third or fourth week of November. An early session may help the Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) legislations, which will pave way for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), to be approved within November or latest by early December.

The government is also considering advancing the Budget Session by a month or so starting from January next year. Sources in the government said besides legislations relating to GST, nearly 15 new bills are likely to be introduced.

The government would also push for the passage of the ordinance which seeks to amend the Enemy Property Act. In December, the Centre had for the fourth time promulgated the ordinance to amend nearly 50-year-old Enemy Property law to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and China after wars.

The issue of the Army’s surgical strikes across LoC and allegations by some parties that the government was trying to politicise the issue are set to grab the limelight during the session.