The Indian Parliament is set to commence its Winter Session on December 4, 2023, as announced by the Union Government. Notably, this session will mark the first full proceedings to take place within the newly constructed Parliament building. This follows a five-day Special Session held in September 2023, during which both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha ceremonially transitioned their sittings to the new venue.
India’s Parliamentary Calendar and Sessions
Unlike some countries, India lacks a fixed parliamentary calendar. However, by tradition not explicitly delineated in the constitution, three sessions of Parliament are traditionally convened each year. The first and longest of these – the Budget Session – begins towards the end of January, concluding either at the end of April or in the initial week of May. This session incorporates a recess to allow for Parliamentary Committees to scrutinize budgetary proposals. The Monsoon Session – typically lasting three weeks – kicks off in July and wraps up in August. The final gathering is the Winter Session scheduled for December.
Boost in Supreme Court Judicial Strength
The Supreme Court has recently welcomed three new judges into its ranks. This expansion brings the judicial strength of the court to its maximum capacity of 34. This increase is particularly noteworthy due to a considerable surge in pending cases reflected on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) dashboard, which now exceeds 80,000. The Supreme Court collegium has underscored the necessity of maintaining full judicial strength to manage the surging case backlog. The swearing-in of the three new judges coincides with the Chief Justice of India marking one year in office.
Focusing on Headline Inflation and Food Price Fluctuations
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, in his keynote address delivered in Tokyo, emphasized the importance of vigilant and disinflationary monetary policy in India. This comes in light of threats posed by food price fluctuations, global economic slowdown, and geopolitical uncertainties. While Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is projected to scale down to 5.4% for the financial year 2023-24 from 6.7% in 2022-23, headline inflation remains prone to recurring and overlapping food price shocks. Headline inflation is the total calculated inflation over a period, including a diverse range of commodities. Meanwhile, Core inflation is calculated as Headline inflation minus Food and Fuel inflation.
Bihar Assembly Enhances Reservation Quotas
The Bihar Assembly has unanimously passed a bill to expand reservation quotas in educational institutions and government jobs for various communities. The reservation ratio for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has been increased from 50% to 65%. Adding to the existing 10% quota allocated for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the overall reservation is now set at 75%. The bill was designed to foster inclusive growth and to mitigate societal inequalities. The proposed revisions line up with the results of a caste survey report, affording a strategic direction for policy reform.. The Bill is now due to be presented to the Legislative Council where unanimous approval is anticipated.
