The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on June 24 during which new members of the Lower House will take oath and the Speaker will be elected.
President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27 and is likely to outline the new government’s roadmap for the next five years.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to introduce his Council of Ministers to Parliament after the President’s address on June 27.
The Prime Minister will respond to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in both the Houses of Parliament.
The session will conclude on July 3.
President’s Special Address
• Article 86(1) of the Constitution provides that the President may address either House of Parliament or both Houses assembled together, and for that purpose require the attendance of members. However, since the commencement of the Constitution, there has not been any occasion when the President has addressed either House or both Houses assembled together, under the provision of this article.
• Article 87 provides for the special address by the President. Clause (1) of that Article provides that at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together. Such an address is called ‘special address’. It is also an annual feature.
• In the case of the first session after each general election to Lok Sabha, the President addresses both Houses of Parliament assembled together after the members have made and subscribed the oath or affirmation and the Speaker has been elected.
• No other business is transacted till the President has addressed both Houses of Parliament assembled together.
• The President’s Address is a solemn and formal act under the Constitution. Utmost dignity and decorum befitting the occasion are maintained. Any action on the part of a member which marks the solemnity of the occasion of the President’s Address or creates disturbance is viewed seriously and dealt with by the House concerned accordingly, either by disapproving the conduct of the member concerned or by constituting a Committee to go into it.
• The President’s Address is the statement of policy of the government and, as such, is drafted by the government which is responsible for its contents. The Address contains a review of various activities and achievements of the government during the previous year and sets out the policies, projects and programmes which the government wishes to pursue with regard to the important national and international issues.
• Clause (2) of article 87 of the Constitution requires that provision shall be made by the rules regulating the procedure of either House for the allotment of time for discussion of the matters referred to in the President’s Address.
• The scope of the discussion on the Address is very wide and members are at liberty to speak on every matter of national or international importance and other issues.
• The time allotted by the House for discussion on the Motion of Thanks is distributed amongst various parties and groups in proportion to their strength in the House.
• At the end of the discussion, the Prime Minister replies to the debate. Thereafter, the amendments are disposed of, and then the Motion of Thanks is put to vote in the House.
• If any of the amendments is accepted then the Motion of Thanks is adopted in the amended form.
What are the Sessions of Parliament?
• A Session is the period of time between the meeting of a Parliament and its prorogation. During the course of a Session, either House may adjourn to such date as it pleases.
Normally three Sessions are held in a year:
(1) Budget Session - January & February and March & April.
The Budget Session is divided into two parts. It has a break to enable department-related committees to consider and report on demands for grants of the various ministries.
(2) Monsoon Session - July, August and September.
(3) Winter Session - November and December.
• The period between the prorogation of Parliament and its reassembly in a new Session is termed as a ‘recess’.
• ‘Adjournment’ is a short break of a few hours or days and then the House resumes its sitting.
• If the adjournment is done without any time scale, it is known as ‘adjournment sine die’.
How is a Parliament Session convened?
• The Constitution provides that the President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit. There should not be a gap of more than six months between two Sessions of the Parliament.
• The fixation of dates of summoning and prorogation of the two Houses of Parliament is one of the functions assigned to the ministry of parliamentary affairs under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules made by the President.
• After assessing the time likely to be required for transaction of government business and for discussion on topics of public interest as may be demanded from time to time by members of Parliament, the ministry of parliamentary affairs places a note before the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs for making a recommendation as to the date of the commencement of a Session of Parliament and its likely duration.
• The recommendation, if approved by the Prime Minister, is submitted by the ministry to the President for approval of the commencement of a Session.
• The President summons the House exercising the powers conferred upon him by Article 85(1) of the Constitution.
• It states that: “The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.”
• Following this, the Secretary-General issues a summons to each member of the House.
