The government on Monday completed its Budgetary exercise for 2023-24, with both Houses of Parliament approving the Finance Bill, 2023, along with a fresh amendment introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to rectify an error in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) rates on option contracts in the earlier version of the Bill.
The Rajya Sabha was initially adjourned within a minute after it assembled at 11 a.m., without conducting any business, as a stalemate continued with both sides sloganeering against the other. The Opposition members had come dressed in black, as a mark of protest.
When it reconvened, the Upper House returned the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill to the Lok Sabha on Monday without any discussion. The Opposition raised slogans to protest Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification and insisted on a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe regarding the irregularities in the Adani Group of companies.
The proceedings lasted all of 12 minutes after the House reconvened post-lunch.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar put the Bills to voice vote and they were approved without any discussion or introductory remarks by the Ministers.
Later in the afternoon, the amended Bill was cleared in the Lok Sabha amid heavy sloganeering by Opposition MPs, many of whom had trooped into the well of the House.
Published - March 27, 2023 05:13 pm IST
