Q. With reference to the Parliament of India, consider the following statements:- A private member's bill is a bill presented by a Member of Parliament who is not elected but only nominated by the President of India.
- Recently, a private member's bill has been passed in the Parliament of India for the first time in its history.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2017)
Answer:
Neither 1 nor 2
Notes: The correct answer is
[D] Neither 1 nor 2. These statements inaccurately define the nature and history of Private Member's Bills in the Indian Parliament.
- Statement 1 (Incorrect): A Private Member’s Bill is a bill introduced by any Member of Parliament (MP) who is not a Minister. This includes both elected and nominated members from the ruling party as well as the opposition. A bill introduced by a Minister is known as a Government Bill.
- Statement 2 (Incorrect): It is not true that a Private Member’s Bill has been passed for the first time "recently." In the history of the Indian Parliament, 14 Private Member's Bills have been passed and become law. However, no such bill has been passed by both Houses since 1970. The last one to be enacted was the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968, which became law in 1970.
Key Facts:- Introduction: Private Member's Bills can only be introduced and discussed on Fridays.
- Notice Period: The introduction of such a bill requires one month’s notice, whereas a government bill requires only seven days.
- Rejection: The rejection of a Private Member's Bill in the House has no implication on the confidence of the government, unlike a Government Bill.