Parliament Sessions: Monsoon, Budget & Winter

• The Monsoon session of Parliament recently commenced, following a reshuffling of the Council of Ministers and Cabinet committees.

Sessions of Parliament

• Article 85 of the Constitution specifies the summoning of Parliament.
• The government has the power to convene Parliament sessions.
• The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs decides to call a session, which is then formalized by the President.
• The President summons Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend sessions.
• India follows a convention of holding three Parliament sessions annually, as there is no fixed parliamentary calendar.
• The Budget Session (1st session) spans from late January to the end of April or the first week of May.
• The Monsoon Session (2nd session) lasts three weeks, typically starting in July and ending in August.
• The Winter Session (3rd session) is held from November to December.

Summoning of Parliament

• Summoning is the procedure of calling all Parliament members to meet.
• The President summons each House of Parliament periodically.
• The gap between two Parliament sessions cannot exceed six months, ensuring that Parliament convenes at least twice a year.

Adjournment

• Adjournment concludes a sitting of the House, which resumes at a scheduled time.
• The postponement of a sitting can be for a specified period, such as hours, days, or weeks.
• If a meeting ends without a fixed time or date for resumption, it is termed Adjournment sine die.
• The presiding officer, either the Speaker or Chairman, has the authority to adjourn the House, including declaring Adjournment sine die.

Prorogation

• Prorogation marks the end of a session but not the dissolution of the house such as Lok Sabha.
• The President of India prorogues the session

Quorum

• Quorum is the minimum number of members needed to conduct a House meeting.
• The Constitution sets the quorum at one-tenth of the total strength for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• A Lok Sabha sitting requires at least 55 members present, while a Rajya Sabha sitting needs at least 25 members.

Joint Session of Parliament

• Article 108 of the Constitution allows for a joint sitting of the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, to resolve deadlocks
• The President calls a joint session, and the Speaker presides over it.
• In the Speaker's absence, the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides.
• If both are absent, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha presides
• If none of the above members are present, any other member of Parliament can preside by consensus of both Houses.