Race against time: Coal, Mines bills go to panels but govt may have clear path to pass them

Two key bills aimed at reforming coal and mines sectors were delayed as these were referred to separate committees of Parliament on Wednesday but the government has reportedly struck a deal to ensure a smoother path for them in the Rajya Sabha.

The Select Committees, set up by the Rajya Sabha, were asked to submit their reports by March 18, two days before Parliament goes for a month-long recess in the Budget session. However, given that a deal has been struck with the Opposition parties the government is reportedly considering extending the session by a day in order to pass these legislations.

The two bills were sent to the select committees after the opposition agreed to withdraw motions to defeat the bills in the Upper House, reported the Indian Express .

The Times of India reporte d  that  the 8-day tight deadline set for the  select committees  is being seen as a victory for the Modi government as in the past such committes taken as long as a couple of years to arrive at a conclusion.

If the committees give their recommendations on the designated date, it gives the government two days to debate the bills and then send it back to the Lok Sabha if any amendments are made. The government can consider delaying the budget session break by a day because the two ordinances are set to lapse in early April and Parliament would convene again only on 20 April.

Another legislation which may get the go ahead thanks to the pact between the opposition and the government is the Insurance Laws Amendment Bill that has also been stuck in the Upper House of Parliament.

The Congress has reportedly already agreed to approve the Insurance Laws Amendment Bill to allow greater FDI in the insurance sector. The legislation was originally moved by the UPA government and has been brought back by the NDA government with tweaks.

The NDA government has reportedly managed to win over the parties that were not aligned with the Congress on the coal and mines bills. While the Trinamool Congress and Biju Janata Dal are reportedly backing the coal mines bill, parties like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Janata Dal (United) are in support of the deadline for the select committees.

The government had earlier bowed to the Opposition and agreed to refer the two bills to the Select Committees after it faced the prospect of yet another embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha. However, the BJP had a minor victory in the formation of the committees as well with its leaders heading the two Parliamentary panels.

The 19-member select committee to look into the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 is being chaired by Bhupender Yadav of BJP. The select committee to look into the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, will be headed by Anil Madhav Dave of BJP.

However, while the government is inching towards victory in passing these legislation, it doesn’t mean the contentious Land Bill will have an easier path in the Upper House of Parliament. The opposition parties have shown no signs of breaking ranks on the matter but the BJP may not mind putting the legislation on the backburner for now in the interest of all the other legislation that it would like to see passed quickly.