Parliament is the highest law-making body in the country and 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.

Parliament as an institution works in a structured manner. It comprises the President and the two Houses – the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve the Lok Sabha.

Here is all you need to know about Parliament and structure:

How many members does Parliament have?

Parliament has a sanctioned strength of 543 in the Lok Sabha and 245 in the Rajya Sabha, including the 12 nominees from the fields of science, culture, art and history. 

How are the Lok Sabha members elected?

The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the voters in general elections and by-elections to represent constituencies, and may remain members of Parliament (MPs) for five years until Parliament is dissolved.

Who can vote to elect Lok Sabha members

Every citizen of India who is above 18 years of age, irrespective of gender, caste, religion, or race and is otherwise not disqualified, is eligible to vote for the Lok Sabha.

How are members elected to the Rajya Sabha?

The Rajya Sabha members are elected by the electoral college of the elected members of the state assembly with a system of proportional representation. Unlike membership to the Lok Sabha, membership to the Rajya Sabha is permanent for a term of six years and cannot be dissolved at any time.

How many Parliament sessions are held in a year?

Normally, three sessions of Parliament are held in a year – Budget (February-May), Monsoon (July-August) and Winter (November-December) sessions

Who can become a Lok Sabha member?

To be eligible for membership in the Lok Sabha, a person must be a citizen of India and must be 25 years of age or older, mentally sound, should not be bankrupt, and should not be convicted.

How are Lok Sabha members distributed over the country?

The total elective membership is distributed among the states in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each state and the population of the state is, so far as practicable, the same for all states.  

When was the Lok Sabha constituted?

The Lok Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on April 17, 1952 after the first general elections held from October 25, 1951 to February  21, 1952. G.V. Mavalankar was the first Speaker of Lok Sabha (May 15, 1952- February 27, 1956).

What is the Zero hour?

The Zero Hour is usually used to raise matters that are urgent and cannot wait for the notice period required under other procedures. For raising matters during the Zero Hour, MPs give notice before 10 am to the Chairman on the day of the sitting. The notice must state the subject they wish to raise in the House. The Chairman decides whether to allow the matter to be raised.

What is the Question hour?

This is used by parliamentarians to hold the government accountable for its actions. Policies, decisions can be questioned and ministers are answerable for their department’s actions.

There are three different types of questions

Starred question: This is asked by an MP and answered orally by the minister/minister-in-charge. MPs can ask one starred question each, in one sitting. Starred questions are submitted in advance (15 days) and only 15 questions are picked (through ballot) for oral answer on a day. The MP who put up the question can thereafter ask up to two supplementary questions. Three other MPs can then ask supplementary questions based on the Chairman’s discretion.

Unstarred question: An unstarred question receives a written reply from the ministry. They are submitted 15 days in advance. A maximum of 160 unstarred questions are picked for a day.

Short notice question: These relate to a matter of urgent public importance. They can be asked with less than 15 days notice. Like starred questions, short notice questions are answered orally followed by supplementary questions. These are admitted at the discretion of the Chairman. This is not a very frequently used procedure.

What is calling attention?

An MP may call the attention of a minister to an urgent public importance, to which the minister gives a statement. Clarifications can be sought after the minister’s statement and he/she shall reply at the end to all such questions. Notices given any time before 5 pm of the day of sitting will be considered for the next sitting. Up to five members can be shortlisted by ballot. The notice is valid for a week.

What are Parliamentary committees?

The work done by Parliament is varied and complex in nature and huge in volume. It is not possible to go into details of all the legislative and other matters. A good deal of its business is, therefore, transacted in committees of the House, known as Parliamentary committees. Parliamentary committee means a Committee that is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker and presents its report to either of them or both.

Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds: Standing Committees and Ad hoc Committees. Standing Committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time. The work of these Committees is of continuous nature.

Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal ad hoc committees are the select and joint committees on ills.

For more click here: http://164.100.47.194/loksabha/Committee/Comm_Introductionnew.pdf

Law-making process

A legislative proposal, known as a bill, has to be passed by each House of Parliament and obtain presidential assent to become an Act. Bills are introduced by ministers and private member bills by any other MP. While the procedure to introduce and pass these bills is the same, only 14 private members bills have ever been passed.

Steps in passing a bill

Circulation: A Bill is circulated at least two days before it is scheduled to be introduced in either House. However, the House has the discretion to waive this requirement.

Introduction: The minister moves a motion to introduce a Bill in the House. He/she has to give seven days notice before moving this motion. The Chairman may allow the motion to be moved at a shorter notice. The introduction of a Bill in Parliament is called the “first reading”.

If the motion to introduce the Bill is defeated, the Bill cannot be introduced. For example, when the motion to introduce the Allahabad University Bill was moved in 2004, it was put to vote and rejected by the Upper House. Consequently the Bill could not be introduced.

Committee: Once a Bill has been introduced, it may be referred to a committee for detailed examination. In case a Bill has been passed by one House without reference to a standing committee, the other House may refer the Bill to a standing or select Committee comprised of its own MPs.

Consideration and passing: Once the report of the standing or select committee has been received by the House, it is taken up for discussion. The time allocated for the debate is given to different parties based on their strength in the House. The party leadership decides on which MPs will speak within the allocated time.

Clause-by-clause Discussion: Once a general discussion on the Bill has taken place, it is discussed clause-by-clause. The motion to adopt the Bill into consideration is then raised. At this stage, MPs can move amendments to the Bill. For this, a notice of one day needs to be given before the Bill is listed for consideration. The MP who has moved an amendment has to explain the reasons for moving the specific amendment. An amendment can become part of the Bill if it is accepted by a majority of MPs present and voting. This is known as the “second reading”

Bill is passed

The bill is deemed to have been passed, if both the houses accept the bill and the amendments

(SOURCES: india.gov.inparliamentofindia.nic.inprsindia.org)