Parliament of India

Parliament of India

Parliament is the supreme legislative body of India. The Indian Parliament comprises of the President and the two Houses - Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha. The Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950. The first general elections under the new Constitution were held during the year 1951-52 and the first elected Parliament came into existence in April, 1952, the Second Lok Sabha in April, 1957, the Third Lok Sabha in April, 1962, the Fourth Lok Sabha in March, 1967, the Fifth Lok Sabha in March, 1971, the Sixth Lok Sabha in March, 1977, the Seventh Lok Sabha in January, 1980, the Eighth Lok Sabha in December, 1984, the Ninth Lok Sabha in December, 1989, the Tenth Lok Sabha in June, 1991, the Eleventh Lok Sabha in May, 1996, the Twelfth Lok Sabha in March, 1998, Thirteenth Lok Sabha in October, 1999, Fourteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2004, Fifteenth Lok Sabha in April, 2009, Sixteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2014, Seventeen Lok Sabha in May, 2019, and Eighteen Lok Sabha in May, 2024.

New Parliament Building of India

The chamber of this new Lok Sabha building will have 888 seats for MPs, up from the existing 543, with an option to increase the capacity to 1,272 seats. The Lok Sabha will be used for joint sittings of both the Houses as the old building lacks a central chamber. This architectural masterpiece was designed by Bimal Patel.

Triangular Shape:
The new building is triangular in shape, mostly because the plot of land that it is built on is a triangle.
The new building's design is influenced by sacred geometry found in various religions. Its design and materials are meant to complement the old Parliament, with the two buildings expected to function as one complex.

Environment Friendly:
Built using green construction techniques, the new building is supposed to reduce electricity consumption by 30%, compared to the old one.
Rainwater-harvesting and water-recycling systems have been included. It has been designed to be more space efficient and meant to function for the next 150 years.

Earthquake-Safe: Since Delhi is in seismic zone-V, the building is primed to be Earthquake-safe.

Lok Sabha: The new Lok Sabha chamber has a peacock theme, with designs drawn from the national bird's feathers carved on the walls and ceiling, complemented by teal carpets.
The Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats, up from the existing 543, with the option of expanded seating up to 1,272. The Lok Sabha will be used for joint sittings of both Houses in the absence of a Central Hall, which was the fulcrum of the old building.

Rajya Sabha: The Rajya Sabha chamber has been decorated with the lotus as its theme, with red carpets.
In both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, two MPs will be able to sit on one bench and each MP will have a touch screen on the desk.
The Rajya Sabha chamber can accommodate 384 Members of Parliament (MPs), as opposed to the existing capacity of 250. The increased capacity of both chambers is meant to cater to any future increase in the number of MPs following Delimitation.

Constitution Hall: The new building has a Constitution Hall, where the journey of Indian democracy has been documented.

Material from across India:
For the interior and exterior of the building, construction materials have been brought in from across the country, including sandstone from Sarmathura in Dholpur and granite from Lakha village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Similarly, the wood used in the decor is from Nagpur and craftsmen from Mumbai have led the wooden architecture design.
Bhadohi weavers from Uttar Pradesh have made the traditional hand-knotted carpets for the building.

Gandhi Statue: The 16-foot-tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, originally placed at the main entrance of Parliament in 1993, has been relocated between the old and new buildings.
It now faces the old building, near the entrance used by the Lok Sabha Speaker. The statue has been a significant site for protests, gatherings, and photo-ops for students and Members of Parliament.
It was created by renowned sculptor Ram V Sutar, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award.

National Symbols: The building is replete with national symbols, including the national emblem — the Lion Capital of Ashoka — that weighs 9,500 kg and is 6.5 metres in height, and is visible from a distance.
To support this massive bronze sculpture, a structure of 6,500 kg was constructed on top of the central foyer. At the entrance, the Ashoka chakra and the words 'Satyameva Jayate' have been carved in stone.

Golden Sceptre:
A golden sceptre (Sengol), given to Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence to mark the transfer of power from the British, will sit in the new Lok Sabha chamber, near the Speaker's podium. This sceptre was given to him by priests from Tamil Nadu.

Going Digital:
In line with the environment-friendly focus of the new Parliament, all records — House proceedings, questions and other business — are being digitised. Besides, tablets and iPads will become a norm.

Galleries in the Building:
A gallery called 'Shilp' will exhibit textile installations from across India, along with pottery items made from the mitti of all Indian states. The gallery 'Sthapatya' will exhibit the iconic monuments of India, including those from the different states and UTs. Besides monuments, it also amalgamates yoga asanas.

Vaastu Shastra:
At all the entrances of the building, auspicious animals as guardian statues will be exhibited, based on their importance in Indian culture and vaastu shastra. These include the elephant, the horse, the eagle, the swan, and mythical creatures shardula and makara.

Foucault Pendulum: A Foucault pendulum installed inside the new Parliament building. At the latitude of Parliament, it takes 49 hours, 59 minutes and 18 seconds to complete one rotation.
The Foucault pendulum, named after French physicist Léon Foucault, is used to demonstrate the earth's rotation.
The pendulum consists of a heavy bob suspended at the end of a long, strong wire from a fixed point in the ceiling. As the pendulum swings, the imaginary surface across which the wire and the bob swipe is called the plane of the swing.

Architecture of Old Parliament Building of India

The parliament is one of the most magnificent buildings in New Delhi. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi. The construction of buildings took six years and the opening ceremony was performed on 18 January 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin. The construction costs for the building were Rs. 8.3 million. The parliament is 570 feet (170 meters) in diameter. It covers an area of nearly six acres. The building has twelve gates among which Gate No. 1 on the Sansad Marg is the main gate.

General layout of the building -

The centre and the focus of the building is the Central Hall. It consists of chambers of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the Library Hall and between them lie garden courts. Surrounding these three chambers is the four storyed circular structure providing accommodations for Ministers, Chairmen, Parliamentary committees, Party offices, important offices of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats and also the offices of the ministry of Parliamentary affairs. The Central Hall is circular in shape and the dome is 98 feet (29.87 meters) in diameter. It is a place of historical importance. The Indian Constitution was framed in the Central Hall. The Central Hall was originally used in the library of erstwhile Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of States. In 1946, it was converted and refurbished into Constituent Assembly Hall. At present, the Central Hall is used for holding joint sittings of both the houses of parliament and also used for address by the President in the commencement of first session after each general election.

Working, procedures and committees

The Parliament consists of the President of Republic of India and both the Chambers. The House and the Council are equal partners in the legislative process; however, the Constitution grants the House of People some unique powers. Revenue-raising or "Money" bills must originate in the Lok Sabha. The Council of States can only make recommendations suggestions over these bills to the House, within a period of fourteen days – lapse of which the bill is assumed to have been passed by both the Chambers.

Session of parliament

The period during which the House meets to conduct its business is called a session. The Constitution empowers the President to summon each House at such intervals that there should not be more than 6-month's gap between the two sessions. Hence the Parliament must meet at least twice a year. In India, the parliament conducts three sessions each year-
Budget session: In the months of February to May.
Monsoon session: In the months of July to September.
Winter session: In the months of November to December.

Parliamentary committees

Parliamentary committees play a vital role in the Parliamentary System. They create a vibrant link between the Parliament, the Executive and the general public.

The need for committees arises out of two factors – the first one being the need for vigilance on the part of the Legislature over the actions of the Executive, while the second one is that the modern Legislature these days is over-burdened with heavy volume of work with limited time at its disposal. It thus becomes impossible that every matter should be thoroughly and systematically scrutinized and considered on the floor of the House. If the work is to be done with reasonable care, some Parliamentary responsibility has to be entrusted to an agency in which the whole House has confidence. Entrusting certain functions of the House to the Committees has, therefore, become a normal practice. This has become all the more necessary, as a Committee provides the expertise on a matter which is referred to it.

In a committee, the matter is deliberated at length, views are expressed freely, the matter is considered in depth, in a business-like manner and in a calm atmosphere. In most of the Committees, public is directly or indirectly associated when memoranda containing suggestions and are received, on-the-spot studies are conducted and oral evidence is taken which helps the Committees in arriving at the conclusions. Parliamentary committees are of two kinds: ad hoc committees and the standing committees. The most powerful committee is the public accounts committee, which is headed by the leader of the opposition.

Standing committees

There are standing committees in the Indian Parliament. Each house of Parliament has standing committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee, etc.

Standing committees are permanent regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Parliament. The work of these committees is of a continuing nature. The Financial Committees, DRSCs and some other committees are standing committees.

Ad hoc committees

Ad hoc committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal ad hoc committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills. Others like the Railway Convention Committee, the Committees on the Draft Five Year Plans and the Hindi Equivalents Committee were appointed for specific purposes. Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex etc. also come under the category of ad hoc committees.

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