CHAPTER - VII
MATTERS RAISED
UNDER RULE 377 IN THE LOK SABHA
AND SPECIAL MENTIONS UNDER RULE 180 A-E IN THE RAJYA SABHA
Matters Raised under Rule 377 (Lok Sabha)
7.1
Under
Rule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha,
Members are allowed to raise matters which are not points of order or which have
not been raised during the session under any other rule.
Members are required to give notice for raising a matter under this rule
in a standard form enclosing the text of the statement not exceeding 150 words.
The matters can be raised only with the permission of the Speaker.
Under the rule, a Member can raise only one 'matter' during a week.
7.2
At the meeting of the Hon'ble Speaker with Leaders of parties and groups
held on November 18, 1997, it was decided that as the matters which are meant
for being raised under Rule 377 are increasingly being raised during the Zero
hour, the number of matters being raised under Rule 377 be increased from 8 to
24 per day, to be allocated on the basis of strength of parties/groups in Lok
Sabha. Members might read the brief
subject of the text and the text of the matter might be treated as laid on the
table. The item might be taken up
at 5.30 p.m. This procedure was
followed during the First Session of the XII Lok Sabha.
However, at the meeting of Business Advisory Committee held during the
Budget Session on 29.5.1998, it was decided that the item relating to matters
under rule 377 will be taken up after Question Hour and other formal items
listed in the agenda paper as per direction 2 of the Directions by the Speaker
regarding relative precedence of different classes of business.
It had also been decided that 12 members instead of 24 will be allowed to
raise the matters under Rule 377 per day to be allocated on the basis of
strength of parties/groups in Lok Sabha and that the Members will also be
permitted to read the text of the matter.
7.3
At the meeting of the Hon'ble Speaker with leaders of parties and groups
held on 19.11.2000, it was decided to increase the number of matters to be
raised from 12 to 15 per day and also to reduce the text of the notice from 250
to about 150 words. The decision
was made effective from November 27, 2000.
7.4
Under Rule 180A to 180E of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business
in the Council of States, subject to fulfilling of the conditions of
admissibility, members are allowed to make Special mentions in Rajya Sabha.
Members are required to give notice for raising a matter under this rule
to the Secretary General in the prescribed form enclosing the text of the
special mention not exceeding 250 words. Unless
the Chairman otherwise directs, a Member can raise only one 'matter' during a
week and the total number of special mentions to be admitted for a day should
not ordinarily exceed seven. Any
member who proposes to associate himself with a particular special mention may
do so with the permission of the Chairman.
7.5
Normally ministers do not make statements or react to these matters on
the floor of the two Houses. However,
if a Minister so desires, he may make a statement on the subject with the
permission of the presiding officer.
7.6
The extracts of the proceedings relating to these matters raised in the
two Houses are sent to the ministries concerned by the Parliament Secretariat
normally on the day following the day on which the matters are raised.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs also send weekly statements
containing the gists of the matters raised in the two Houses, to the ministries
concerned for enabling them to cross-check the matters raised in respect of
their ministry with reference to the extracts received by them from two
Secretariats, with a view to ensuring that no item is lost sight of.
The ministries are expected to take action on each of the points raised
by members and communicate the requisite information to the members concerned
under intimation to the concerned Parliament Secretariat and the Ministry of
Parliamentary Affairs within a period of one month from the date on which the
matter is raised in the House. In
order to ensure expeditious disposal of pending matters, the Ministry of
Parliamentary Affairs send reminders to the Ministries from time to time at the
level of Secretary and if necessary, at the Minister's level.
7.7
At the end of year 2002, 351 matters were pending in Lok Sabha and 237
matters were pending in Rajya Sabha. During the period from 1.1.2003 to
05.02.2004, 798 matters were raised in Lok Sabha and 469 matters were raised in
Rajya Sabha. As per intimations
received in this Ministry, replies in respect of 898 Lok Sabha matters have been
sent to the members concerned leaving a pendency of 251 matters as on
05.02.2004. After the dissolution of the 13th Lok Sabha on
06.02.2004, all the pending matters in Lok Sabha have lapsed.
As regards the Rajya Sabha, replies in respect of 581 special mentions
have been sent to the members concerned and the remaining 125 matters were still
pending as on 31.03.2004. Apart from the reminders as aforesaid, three rounds of
meetings with senior officers concerned in the ministries\departments were also
held by the Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to expedite replies.
7.8
(i) After the Question Hour i.e. during so the called 'Zero Hour',
members in both Houses, with the permission of the Presiding Officer, raise
matters of urgent public importance. Sometimes,
matters are also raised by members without prior permission. It is not mandatory on the part of the Ministers to
reply to such points immediately when they are raised in the House or
subsequently through formal communications, although sometimes, ministers do
react in the House to the points raised by members/send replies to them.
(ii)
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs/Minister of State for Parliamentary
Affairs, sometimes, intervenes on such occasions and assures the House that the
points raised by them would be brought to the notice of the Ministers concerned.
The Presiding Officers also sometimes give directions/make observations
on various issues raised in the two Houses during Zero Hour. The Ministry of
Parliamentary Affairs then forward the relevant extracts of such matters from
the proceedings of the House to the Minister(s) concerned under the signature of
the Minister or Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs preferably on the
same day, for appropriate action.
(iii)
Consequent upon a decision taken by the Ministry on 20.9.2000, the Ministry
have also been forwarding, since Winter Session, 2000, the extracts from the
proceedings of the Houses in respect of those matters raised during zero hour on
which there were no direction by the presiding officers/assurance by the
Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs, to the concerned ministries/departments for
information and such action as considered necessary.
7.9
During the period under report, 480 matters raised in the two Houses
during zero hour (Lok Sabha 409, Rajya Sabha 71) were forwarded to the
ministries/departments concerned. Out of these, 111 matters
(Lok Sabha 69, Rajya Sabha 42) were forwarded at the minister level to
the ministers concerned.
7.10
The main advantage of allowing matters to be raised under Rule 377,
Special Mentions and during Zero Hour is to bring to the notice of the House and
the government, the matters and happenings of urgent public importance which
take place in or outside the country and have a bearing on our national
interests and about which members are agitated and for which members may not get
an early opportunity to raise under any other rule of the House.
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