CHAPTER - VII
MATTERS RAISED UNDER RULE
377 IN THE LOK SABHA AND BY WAY OF SPECIAL MENTIONS UNDER RULE 180-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 cannot be raised 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. Notice should
be given by 10 hours of the day on which a matter is sought to be raised by the
Member. Notices received after 10
hours on a day are deemed to have been given for the next sitting of the
House. Notices tabled by Members
between 10 hours and 10.30 hours on the last working day of the week are
ballotted to determine inter-se-priority of Members for raising matters in the
following week. Notices not selected during the week for which they have been
tabled, shall lapse at the end of the week. Provided that a notice referred for facts under order of the
Speaker shall not lapse till it is finally disposed of. 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 Hon'ble Speaker with Leaders of
Parties and Groups held on 18th November, 1997, it was decided that
as the matters which are meant for being raised under Rule 377 are increasingly
being raised during 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 of their notices, given
by the Secretariat, 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 1st Session of XII Lok Sabha. However, at the meeting of Business
Advisory Committee held during 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 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 27th November, 2000
7.4
Under Rule 180A to 180E of the Rules of Procedures
and Conduct of Business in the Council of States, 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.
Notice for special mention should be given by 17 hrs of the day prior to
the day on which it is sought to be made by the Member. Under this rule, a Member can raise
only one 'matter' during a week and total number of special mentions to be
admitted for a day shall not exceed seven. Notices not selected during the week for which they have
been given shall lapse at the end of the week to revive which the Member will
have to give fresh notice. 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 raised 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. The main advantage of
this device 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 these under any other Rule of the House.
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 to enable 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
During the period from 1.1.2001 to 31.12.2001, 674
matters were raised in Lok Sabha and 321 matters were raised in Rajya
Sabha. Replies in respect of 244
Lok Sabha matters have been sent to the members concerned leaving a pendency of
430 matters as on 31.12.2001. As
regards the Rajya Sabha, replies in respect of 43 special mentions have been
sent to the Members concerned and the remaining 278 matters were still pending
as on 31.12.2001.
7.8
After the Question Hour every day i.e. during so
called 'Zero Hour', Members in both Houses raise, with the permission of the
Presiding Officer, 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. The
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs/Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs,
sometimes, intervene on such occasions and assure the House that the points
raised by them would be brought to the notice of the Ministers concerned for
necessary action. The Presiding
Officers also give directions/make observations on various issues raised in the
two Houses during Zero Hour.
7.9
Whenever Presiding Officers give directions or the
Minister/Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs intervenes in the debate
during Zero Hour and assure the House that the issues raised by the Members or
the directions/observations thereon by the Presiding Officer would be brought
to the notice of the Minister (s) concerned, the Ministry of Parliamentary
Affairs forward the relevant extracts 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 necessary action.
7.10
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.
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