New Delhi: The Central government will move a Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to omit 'Bhogta' community from the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) in Jharkhand. Union Minister Arjun Munda is likely to move the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Upper House for consideration and passing.
The Bill seeks amendment to the "Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to omit Bhogta community from the list of Scheduled Castes in relation to the State of Jharkhand and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 for inclusion of certain communities in the lists of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Jharkhand".
According to their traditional beliefs, the Bhogta people emerged from a union of religious preachers and tribal women. The children from these unions became the Bhogta people, most of whom now live in India's eastern states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.
Besides the Bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is to lay on the table, statements (in English and Hindi) of the estimated receipts and expenditure (2022-23) of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (with Legislature).
Union Minister V. Muraleedharan will also move a motion for the election of members to the Committee on Public Undertakings. The Minister will also move a motion for the election of members to the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The House will also hold a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
The two Houses, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha resumed their normal sittings for the second part of the Budget session amid declining Covid-19 cases in the country. However, the Houses continued with most of the restrictions, following the Covid-19 protocol, seen in the earlier parts of Parliament sessions. The Houses of Parliament will continue to follow the social distancing norms in the seating arrangements of the members by utilising both the chambers and visitors' galleries.
As per the seating arrangement, the Rajya Sabha, having a total strength presently of 237 members with eight vacancies out of a total of 245 MPs, it will have 139 (+3) MPs sitting in the chambers while 98 others will be accommodated in the gallery at a given time. Similarly, the Lok Sabha has a total accommodation of 538 members, out of which 282, including the Prime Minister, can sit in the chambers while the rest 258 can sit in the galleries at a given time.
In the second part of the Budget session of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha will get additional 19 hours of business time, which is resuming from today. The House will sit from 11 am to 6 pm during the scheduled 19 sittings.
The House will have four days for Private Member's Business and Question Hour will continue to be for one hour while the Zero Hour, which was curtailed to half an hour during the first part will now be for a full one hour per each sitting. The Budget session will resume after a 30-day recess during which the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs) examined the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.
According to the official guidelines, only sitting members of the two Houses of Parliament can visit the Central Hall, which will be out of bounds for the former MPs and visitors. The Rajya Sabha will get additional 19 hours of business time in the second part of the Budget session of Parliament. This session of Budget session will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11.
