Land Ordinance to be tabled in Lok Sabha today

New Delhi: With the government slated to table a copy of the land ordinance in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the house is expected to witness a stormy start as it meets after a recess for the second half of the budget session.

According to the schedule of business of the house, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy would lay a copy of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015.

The ordinance was promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 3. The land ordinance had earlier been promulgated in December last year.

While the Lok Sabha, the lower house, meets on Monday, the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, will meet on April 23. The upper house of parliament was prorogued during the recess after the first half of the budget session for re-promulgation of the land ordinance.

The new ordinance incorporates nine amendments that were moved by the government before land bill was passed in the Lok Sabha. The bill, however, was not taken up in the Rajya Sabha in the first half of the budget session. The government does not have a majority in the upper house.

The government is not likely to find going easy on the new land bill in the Rajya Sabha with Congress and several other parties firmly opposed to it.

The Congress held a rally here on Sunday to convey its opposition to the National Democratic Alliance government's bill and its commitment to the land Act passed in 2013 during the rule of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

While there is option for the government to convene a joint session of the parliament if the bill is defeated in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said it was not being considered for the present.

"As of now, we are not discussing a joint session," Naqvi told IANS.

The government is also keen on consideration of bills concerning Goods and Services Tax, black money and real estate.

While the Lok Sabha session is expected to conclude on May 8, the Rajya Sabha will meet till May 13. Both the houses will have 13 sittings.

The agenda for the government includes demands for grants for Railways and some select ministries and passing of relevant appropriation bills and finance bill.

A release of Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said the Lok Sabha is likely to discuss the demands for grants of ministries of home, health and family welfare, environment and forests, chemicals and fertilizers and drinking water and sanitation.

Rajya Sabha is likely to discuss the working of the ministries of law and justice, petroleum and natural gas, social justice and empowerment and external affairs.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is slated for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

"The government is keen about both the houses taking up consideration the GST bill, disclosure of foreign income and assets bill and the real estate (development and regulation) bill during the second part of the budget session," the release said.