In doing so, a Member may, with the prior authorization of the Speaker, call the attention of a Minister to any matter of urgent public interest, and the Minister may make a brief statement on that matter or request time to make a statement. The motion to draw attention has existed in the Indian Parliament since 1954. Unlike the zero hour, it is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure but not in the Constitution. Now, `unless the President decides otherwise`, the sitting of the House normally starts at 11.00, which means that Question Time starts at 11.00 and lasts until 12.00. Chakshu Roy is the Head of Legislative and Civic Engagement at PRS Legislative Research. Over the past 15 years, he has closely followed the functioning of state and parliaments. He writes extensively on the intricacies of the parliamentary process and has facilitated several workshops to demystify the functioning of legislative institutions. The process of asking and answering questions begins with the determination of the days on which Question Time will take place. At the beginning of the 1952 Parliament, the rule of the Lok Sabha stipulated that Question Time should be held daily. Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, had scheduled Question Time two days a week. A few months later, that number was changed to four days a week. Beginning in 1964, Question Time was held in Rajya Sabha every day of the meeting.
The Standing Committee is a committee of Members of Parliament. It is a standing and regular committee established from time to time in accordance with the provisions of an Act of Parliament or the House Rules and Rules of Procedure. The standing departmental committees were established very late in 1993. Nor are they mentioned in the Constitution. It is at the discretion of the Speaker to “authorize or refuse” the wording of Lok Sabha questions, especially since it is not officially recognized as part of parliamentary procedure and exists only by convention. As far as the Rajya Sabha is concerned, the rules state that the zero-hour submission must not exceed 30 minutes and the total number of submissions “shall not exceed seven per day”. In addition, the zero-hour submission “should be completed before the House rises for lunch at 1 p.m.” Question Time is the first hour of the session of the Lok Sabha, during which MPs question the government. Zero o`clock immediately followed Question Time. While Question Time is strictly regulated, Zero Hour is a parliamentary innovation of India. The phrase is not mentioned in the regulation.
The concept of zero hours began organically during the first decade of India`s parliament, when MPs felt the need to tackle important constitutive and national issues. Members usually ask questions to hold ministers accountable. But the rules also provide them with a mechanism to ask their colleagues a question. Such a question should be limited to a Member`s role in relation to a bill or resolution over which he or she chairs, or to any other matter relating to the operation of the House for which he or she is responsible. If the Speaker permits, Members may also ask a question of a Minister with less than 15 days` notice. Once elected, the executive, i.e. the Union government, has a wide range of powers to carry out its task of managing the country`s affairs and promoting its legislative agenda. Immunity from scrutiny, however, is not one of them, thanks to the opposition and parliamentary procedures that allow it to hold the government to account. Two important means in this respect are `Question Time` and `Zero Time`. Zero time is not mentioned in the regulation. It is therefore an informal way for MEPs to raise issues 10 days in advance without notice.
Indeed, questions are usually of public importance and cannot wait 10 days. Question Time is Parliament`s busiest hour. During this hour, MEPs asked questions to ministers and held them accountable for the functioning of their ministries. The questions asked by MEPs are intended to generate information and trigger appropriate action by ministries. Zero Hour is a 30-minute session where a member has three minutes to address the issue. In addition, a member can only apply for zero hours for one week. Zero Hour is an Indian innovation that has been around since 1962. It is an informal instrument available to Members to raise issues without notice. Unlike Question Time, it is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure. Parliament has comprehensive rules for dealing with all aspects of Question Time. And the Speakers of both Houses are the final authority over the conduct of Question Time. For example, Question Time is usually the first hour of a parliamentary sitting.
In 2014, Rajya Sabha Speaker Hamid Ansari postponed House Question Time from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The aim was to prevent Question Time from being interrupted. For the first few days, Parliament took a lunch break at 1 p.m. As a result, the opportunity for MEPs to raise domestic issues without notice became available at 12 noon and could last an hour for the House to adjourn for lunch. This led to the time being commonly referred to as Zero Hour and issues raised during this period being raised under the name of Zero Hour submissions. Over the years, the Speakers of both Houses have given instructions to streamline zero-hour work to make it even more efficient. Its importance can be seen in the support it receives from citizens, the media, parliamentarians and presidents, although it is not part of the Rules of Procedure. The first hour of each parliamentary session is set for this purpose.
The Minister concerned is required to reply to Parliament orally or in writing, depending on the nature of the question asked. Question Time is not mentioned in the Constitution. It is mentioned in the Assembly`s Rules of Procedure. It is important to know the different parliamentary tools to understand Indian politics and how it works, which is part of the UPSC program. This article discusses and explains the concept of zero hours in Parliament for IAS auditing. The rules regarding the number of questions that can be asked in a day have changed over the years. In Lok Sabha, until the late 1960s, there was no limit to the number of questions that could be asked in a day. Now, parliamentary rules limit the number of starred and starred questions a member can ask in a day. The total number of questions asked by MEPs in the star and non-star categories is then asked in a random vote. From the Lok Sabha ballot, 20 starred questions will be selected to answer during Question Time and 230 for written answers. Last year, a record was set when, in a single day, after an interval of 47 years, 20-star questions were answered in the Lok Sabha. The Parliamentary Standing Orders provide guidelines on the type of questions that may be asked by Members.
Questions should be limited to 150 words. They must be precise and not too general. The issue should also relate to an area of competence of the Government of India. In case of questions, no information should be sought on secret matters or decided by a court. The Speakers of both Houses make the final decision as to whether the government can respond to a question raised by a Member. According to the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, for both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, a question must be announced at least 15 days in advance, which must be answered during Question Time.