The government is hopeful that the landmark Constitution Amendment Bill for a national Goods and Services Tax will be passed by the Rajya Sabha this session, now that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has managed to garner the support of most states, The Indian Express reported. The Lok Sabha had cleared the Bill last year.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu said the government is confident of the GST Bill's passage in this session. "We have enough numbers, but voting will be the last option," he told PTI. Apart from the GST Bill, there are 45 other Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha, while the Lok Sabha has five pending Bills before it.
Some of the other Bills awaiting clearance include the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, Consumer Protection Bill, 2015, and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015.
The last few sessions of Parliament have seen many disruptions and not much business.
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