Monsoon session: What is the question hour in the Parliament

The monsoon
session of the Parliament, which is the highest law-making body in the country,
is set to begin from September 14. The key responsibilities entrusted to its
two houses are: keeping a check on the functioning of the government; passing
the country’s budget; highlighting important issues being faced by the people.

The first
hour of every sitting of the parliament session is called Question Hour. During
the Question Hour, the parliamentarians may ask questions to the ministers on
different aspects of government policies and administration. Every minister,
whose turn is to answer the question, stands up and answers.

The questions
asked during the Question hour are of three types—Starred, Unstarred and Short
Notice.

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A Starred Question is one to which a
member desires an oral answer in the House and which is distinguished by an
asterisk mark.

An Unstarred Question is one which is not
called for oral answer in the house. An answer to such a question is given in
writing and no subsequent questions can be asked following this question.

Minimum
period of notice for starred and unstarred question is 10 days. If the
questions are admitted by the Speaker, they are listed and printed for answer
on the dates allotted to the respective ministries.

The Short Notice Questions are those which relate to matters of
urgent attention.  The normal 10-day notice
period does not apply to short-notice questions. However, Speaker’s nod is
required before answering such a question on a short notice.

The
short-notice questions are taken up for answer immediately after the Question
Hour, popularly known as a Zero Hour.