QUESTION HOUR TO RESUME DURING BUDGET SESSION
CONTEXT
- Question Hour, which had been suspended by the government during the monsoon session, will resume when Parliament meets for the budget session.
- The suspension was done in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government had also cancelled the winter session of Parliament citing a rising number of Covid cases.
BASICS
QUESTION HOUR
SOURCE (INDIAN POLITY BY M. LAXMIKANTH)
- The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slotted for this. During this time, the members ask questions and the ministers usually give answers. The questions are of three kinds, namely, starred, unstarred and short notice.
- A starred question (distinguished by an asterisk) requires an oral answer and hence supplementary questions can follow.
- An unstarred question, on the other hand, requires a written answer and hence, supplementary questions cannot follow.
- A short notice question is one that is asked by giving a notice of less than ten days. It is answered orally
- In addition to the ministers, the questions can also be asked to the private members. Thus, a question may be addressed to a private member if the subject matter of the question relates to some Bill, resolution or other matter connected with the business of the House for which that member is responsible
IMPORTANCE OF QUESTION HOUR
- The Government is put on its trial during the Question Hour and every Minister whose turn it is to answer questions has to stand up and answer for his or his administration’s acts of omission and commission.
- Through the Question Hour the Government is able to quickly feel the pulse of the nation and adapt its policies and actions accordingly.
- It is through questions in the Parliament that the Government remains in touch with the people in as much as members are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning the administration.
- Questions enable Ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration.
- Questions bring to the notice of the Ministers many loopholes which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
- Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a Commission, a Court of Inquiry or even Legislation when matters raised by Members are grave enough to agitate the public mind and are of wide public importance.