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| Lok Sabha
is composed of representative of the people chosen by direct
election on the basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength
of the House envisaged by the Constitution is 552, upto 530
members to represent the States, up to 20 members to represent
the Union Territories and not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian
Community to be nominated by the President, if, in his
opinion, that community is not adequately represented in the
House. The total elective membership is distributed among
the States in such a way that the ratio between the number of
seats allotted to each State and the population of the State
is, so far as practicable, the same for all States. The
number is divided among the 28 States and the 7 Union Territories
as follows: |
States
(1) Andhra Pradesh-- 42
(2) Arunachal Pradesh --2
(3) Assam --14
(4) Bihar-- 40
(5) Chhattisgarh - 11
(6) Goa-- 2
(7) Gujarat-- 26
(8) Haryana-- 10
(9) Himachal Pradesh --4
(10) Jammu & Kashmir --6
(11) Jharkhand - 14
(12) Karnataka --28
(13) Kerala --20
(14) Madhya Pradesh --29 |
(14) Madhya
Pradesh --29
(15) Maharashtra --48
(16) Manipur --2
(17) Meghalaya --2
(18) Mizoram --1
(19) Nagaland --1
(20) Orissa --21
(21) Punjab --13
(22) Rajasthan --25
(23) Sikkim --1
(24) Tamil Nadu --39
(25) Tripura --2
(26) Uttar Pradesh --80
(27) Uttaranchal - 5
(28) West Bengal --42 |
Union
Territories
(1) Andaman & Nicobar Islands --1
(2) Chandigarh --1
(3) Dadra & Nagar Haveli --1
(4) Daman & Diu --1
(5) Delhi --7
(6) Lakshadweep --1
(7) Pondicherry --1 |
Anglo-lndians
(if nominated 2 by the President under Article 331 of the Constitution)
The qualifying age for membership of Lok Sabha is 25 years.
The Lok Sabha at present consists of 545 members including the
Speaker and two nominated members.
Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues for five years
from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration
of the period of five years operates as dissolution of the House.
However, while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation,
this period may be extended by Parliament by law for a period
not exceeding one year at a time and not extending, in any case,
beyond a period of six months after the proclamation has ceased
to operate.
The Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950.
The first general, elections under the new Constitution were
held during the year 1951-52 and the first elected Parliament
came into being in April, 1952, the Second Lok Sabha in April,1957,
the Third Lok Sabha in April,1962, the Fourth Lok Sabha in March,
1967, the Fifth Lok Sabha in March, 1971, the Sixth Lok Sabha
in March, 1977, the Seventh Lok Sabha in January,1980, the Eighth
Lok Sabha in December, 1984, the Ninth Lok Sabha in December,
1989, and the Tenth Lok Sabha in June, 1991, the Eleventh Lok
Sabha in May, 1996, and the Twelfth Lok Sabha in March, 1998.
Presiding Officers
Lok Sabha elects one of its own members as its Presiding Officer
and he is called the Speaker. He is assisted by the Deputy Speaker
who is also elected by Lok Sabha. The conduct of business in
Lok Sabha is the responsibility of the Speaker.
Procedure in the House
The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha
and Directions issued by the Speaker from time to time thereunder
regulate the procedure in Lok Sabha.
The items of business, notice of which is received from the
Ministers/ Private Members and admitted by the Speaker, are
included in the daily List of Business which is printed and
circulated to members in advance.
For various items of business to be taken up in the House the
time is allotted by the House on the recommendations of the
Business Advisory Committee.
Time of Sittings
When in session, Lok Sabha holds its sittings usually from 11
A.M. to 1 P.M. and from 2 P.M. to 6 P.M. On some days the sittings
are continuously held without observing lunch break and are
also extended beyond 6 P.M. depending upon the business before
the House. Lok Sabha does not ordinarily sit on Saturdays and
Sundays and other closed holidays.
Commencement
of a Sittings
At the time fixed for the commencement of a sitting the Marshal
of the House after ascertaining that 55 members are present
in the House which number including the Speaker is required
to from the quorum, announces Hon'ble Members, Hon'ble the
Speaker
The Speaker then reaches his seat from his Chamber and the members
rise in their seats. After bowing or doing namaskar
with folded hands to all sides of the House which is reciprocated
by members bowing or folding hands towards the Chair, the Speaker
takes his seat. Thereafter the members take their seats and
the business of the House starts.
Before the business entered in the order paper is taken up,
a new member who has not yet made and subscribed an oath or
affirmation does so. In the case of death of a sitting or an
ex-member or a leading personality, obituary references are
made and this item is also taken up before Questions.
Question Hour
The first hour of every sitting of Lok Sabha is called the Question
hour. Asking of questions in Parliament is the free and unfettered
right of members. It is during the Question hour that they may
ask questions on different aspects of administration and Government
policy in the national as well as international spheres. Every
Minister whose turn it is to answer to questions has to stand
up and answer for his Ministry's acts of omission or commission.
Questions are of three types - Starred, Unstarred and Short
Notice. A Starred Question is one to which a member desires
an oral answer in the House and which is distinguished by an
asterisk mark. An unstarred Quesion is one which is not called
for oral answer in the house and on which no supplementary questions
can consequently be asked. An answer to such a question is given
in writing. Minimum period of notice for starred/ unstarred
question is 10 clear days.
If the questions given notice of are admitted by the Speaker,
they are listed and printed for answer on the dates allotted
to the Ministries to which the subject matter of the question
pertains.
The normal period of notice does not apply to Short Notice Questions
which relate to matters of urgent public importance. However,
a Short Notice Question may only be answered on short notice
if so permitted by the Speaker and the Minister concerned is
prepared to answer it at shorter notice. A Short Notice Question
is taken up for answer immediately after the Question Hour.
Business after Question Hour
After the Question Hour, the House takes up miscellaneous items
of work before proceeding to the main business of the day. These
may consist of one or more of the following:-
Adjournment Motions, Questions involving breaches of Privileges,
Papers to be laid on the Table, Communication of any messages
from Rajya Sabha, Intimations regarding President's assent to
Bills, Calling Attention Notices, Matters under Rule 377, Presentation
of Reports of Parliamentary Committee, Presentation of Petitions,
- miscellaneous statements by Ministers, Motions regarding elections
to Committees, Bills to be withdrawn or introduced.
Main Business
The main business of the day may be consideration of a Bill
or financial business or consideration of a resolution or a
motion.
Legislative Business
Legislative proposals in the form of a Bill can be brought forward
either by a Minister or by a private member. In the former case
it is known as Government Bill and in the latter case it is
known as a Private Members' Bill. Every Bill passes through
three stages - called three readings - before it is passed.
To become law it must be passed by both the Houses of Parliament,
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, an then assented to by the President.
Financial Business
The presentation of the annual Budgets - General and Railways
- their discussion and voting on the various demands for grants
followed by passing of Appropriation Bill and Finance Bill,
which is long drawn process, take up a major part of the time
of the House during its Budget Session every year.
Motions and Resolutions
Among the other kinds of business which come up before the House
are resolutions and motions. Resolutions and motions may be
brought forward by Government or by private members. Government
may move a resolution or a motion for obtaining the sanction
to a scheme or opinion of the House on an important matter of
policy or on a grave situation. Similarly, a private member
may move a resolution or motion in order to draw the attention
of the House and of the Government to a particular problem.
The last Two and Half hours of sitting on every Friday are generally
allotted for transaction of private members' business. While
private members' bills are taken up on one Friday, private members'
resolutions are taken up on the succeeding Friday, and so on.
Half-an-Hour Discussion.
A Half-an-Hour Discussion can be raised on a matter of sufficient
public importance which has been the subject of a recent question
in Lok Sabha irrespective of the fact whether the question was
answered orally or the answer was laid on the Table of the House
and the answer which needs elucidation on a matter of fact.
Normally not more than half an hour is allowed for such a discussion.
Usually, half-an-hour discussion is listed on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays only, In one session, a member is allowed to raise
not more than two half-an-hour discussions.
During the discussion, the member who has given notice makes
a short statement and not more than four members who have intimated
earlier and have secured one of the four places in the ballot
are permitted to ask a question each for further elucidating
any matter of fact. Thereafter, the Minister concerned replies.
There is no formal motion before the House nor voting.
Discussion on Matters of Urgent Public Importance
Members may raise discussions on matters of urgent public importance
with the permission of the Speaker. Such discussions may take
place on two days in a week.
No formal motion is moved in the House nor is there any voting
on such a discussion.
Debate in the House
After the member who initiates discussion on an item of business
has spoken, other members can speak on that item of business
in such order as the Speaker may call upon them. Only one member
can speak at a time and all speeches are directed to the Chair.
A matter requiring the decision of the House is decided by means
of a question put by the Speaker on a motion made by a member.
Division
A division is one of the forms in which the decision of the
House is ascertained. Normally, when a motion is put to the
House members for and against it indicate their opinion by saying
"Aye" or "No" from their seats. The Chair
goes by the voices and declares that the motion is either accepted
or negatived by the House. If a member challenges the decision,
the Chair orders that the lobbies be cleared. Then the division
bell is rung and an entire network of bells installed in the
various parts and rooms in Parliament House and Parliament House
Annexe rings continuously for three and a half minutes. Members
and Ministers rush to the Chamber from all sides. After the
bell stops, all the doors to the Chamber are closed and nobody
can enter or leave the Chamber till the division is over. Then
the Chair puts the question for second time and declares whether
in its opinion the "Ayes" or the "Noes",
have it. If the opinion so declared is again challenged, the
Chair asks the votes to be recorded by operating the Automatic
Vote Recording Equipment.
Automatic Vote
Recording System
With the announcement of the Speaker for recording the votes,
the Secretary- General presses the button of a key board. Then
a gong sounds serving as a singnal to membes for casting their
votes. For casting a vote each member present in the Chamber
has to press a switch and then operate one of the three push
buttons fixed in his seat. The push switch must be kept pressed
simultaneously until the gong sounds for the second time after
10 seconds.
There are two Indicator Boards installed in the wall on either
side of the Speaker's Chair in the Chamber. Each vote cast by
a member is flashed here. Immediately after the votes are cast,
they are totalled mechanically and the details of the results
are flashed on the Result Indicator Boards installed in the
railings of the Speaker's and Diplomatic Galleries.
Divisions are normally held with the aid of the Automatic Vote
Recording Equipment. Where so directed by the Speaker in terms
of relevant provision in the Rules of Procedure etc. in Lok
Sabha, Divisions may be held either by distribution of 'Aye'/'No'
and 'Abstention' slips to members in the House or by the members
recording their votes by going into the lobbies.
There is an Indicator Board in the machine room showing the
name of each member. The result of Division and vote cast by
each member with the aid of Automatic Vote Recording Equipment
appear on this Board also. Immediately a photograph of the Indicator
Board is taken. Later the Photograph is enlarged and the names
of members who voted 'Ayes' and for 'Noes' are determined with
the help of the photograph and incorporated in Lok Sabha Debates.
Publication of Debates
Three versions of Lok Sabha Debates are prepared viz.,
the Hindi version, the English version and the Original version.
Only the Hindi and English versions are printed. The Original
version, in cyclostyled form, is kept in the Parliament Library
for record and reference.
The Hindi version comprises all Questions asked and Answers
given thereto in Hindi and the speeches made in Hindi as also
verbatim Hindi translation of Questions and Answers and of speeches
made in English or in regional languages.
The English version contains Lok Sabha proceedings in English
and the English translation of the proceedings which take place
in Hindi or in any regional language.
The Original version, however, contains proceedings in Hindi
or in English as they actually take place in the House and also
the English/Hindi translation of speeches made in regional languages.
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