2. Grouping of Ministries 1
4. Draw of lot - 2-3
5. Starred and Unstarred Questions 3
6. List of Questions 4-5
7. Admissibility of Questions 5
8. Amendment of Questions 5-6
9. Questions put down for wrong dates ., 6
11. Printed lists of Questions 6
12. Withdrawal and Postponement of Questions 6-7
13. Answering of Questions of absent Members 7
14. Intimation of disallowed Questions 7
16 Supplementary Questions 8
17. Short Notice Questions 8
18. Half-an-Hour Discussions 9
1. QUESTION HOUR
2. GROUPING OF MINISTRIES
For the purpose of answering questions in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministries/Departments
of the Government of India have been divided into five groups, namely,
I, II, III, IV and V and the Ministers concerned answer questions only
on one day in a week. On each day, unless the Chairman with the consent
of the Minister concerned otherwise directs, only questions relating to
the Ministry/Ministries for which time on that day has been allotted are
placed on the lists of questions for oral answer.
Accordingly, questions for Ministries/Departments included in groups
I, II, III, IV and V come up for answer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays respectively. If there is no sitting on any of these
days, he questions pertaining to the group of Ministries/Departments fixed
for that day are not put down for answers during the week.
3. NOTICES OF QUESTIONS
Members should give notice of a question in writing and should also
specify the official designation of the Minister to whom it is addressed
and the date on which the question is proposed to be placed on the list
of questions for answers. If no date is specified the notice is returned
to the Member.
Members should sign separately notice of each question with his/ her
name written in block letters on the top left corner of the notice. The
unsigned notices are returned to Members, The notices bearing stamped signature
of the members are treated as unsigned notices and are also returned. Members
should give notices of questions in the printed standard forms which can
be had on requisition front the Notice Office or from the Questions Branch
of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The notices of Questions should be clear,
self-contained, complete and written legibly. Proper names, wherever occurring
in the text of the questions, should be written In block letters.
A pamphlet showing "Subjects for which various Ministers are responsible
for answering questions in the Rajya Sabha" is compiled by the Rajya Sabha
Secretariat from time to time and supplied to every member enabling him
to address his questions to the appropriate Minister.
A Bulletin Part-II, together with a chart showing the allotment of days
for answering questions by various Ministers in the Rajya Sabha and the
last dates of receipt of notices in the Secretariat, is supplied to the
members, along with the Summons for the Session.
4. DRAW OF LOT
The following procedure is adopted for determining the inter-se priority
of Members who have given notices of questions for answer on a particular
day:---
receipt of such notices under rule 39 of the Rule of Procedure and Conduct
of Business in Rajya Sabha, for determining the inter-se and written answers,
two ballots are held at 5.00 P.M. in the Lobby of the Central Flail on
every working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Ballot for starred
questions indicates names of Members for a list of 20 questions. A separate
Ballot indicating the Ballot priority of members for including their questions
for written answers for a list of 155 questions in pursuance of rule 51-A
is also held simultaneously. The result of ballot for Starred Questions
is displayed on the Notice Board in the Outer Lobby and also placed in
the Notice Office for information of Members. The lists of admitted starred
and unstarred. questions are prepared in accordance with the result of
such a draw.
(ii) When notice of a Starred Question is given by more than one member,
such notice is deemed to have been given by the first signatory for the
purpose of draw of lot. A member who desires an oral answer to his question should give the
notice in the pink form for Starred Questions putting an asterisk (*) at
the beginning of the notice, otherwise the question will be put in the
list of questions for written answers. A question may be placed on the
list of questions for answer, on a date later than that specified by a
member in his notice, if the Chairman is of the opinion that a longer period
is necessary to decide whether the question is or is not admissible. A
notice of a question given for oral answer may be admitted for written
answer where it is considered by the Chairman that the notice of question
is of such a nature that a written answer would be more appropriate.
Unstarred Questions are not called for oral answers in the House and
thus no supplementary question can be asked thereon. These questions alongwith
their answers are deemed to be laid on the Table of the House and are printed
in the official debates of the sitting of the day for which they are put
down.
6. LIST OF QUESTIONS
Not more than three questions distinguished by asterisk (*) i.e. Starred
Questions by the same Member can be placed on the list of questions for
oral answers on any one day. Starred Questions in excess of three by the
same member are placed in the list of questions for written answers for
that day. As per the orders of the Chairman, not more than, five questions
both, Starred and Unstarred combined, by one member, are placed on the
list of questions for any one day. A limit of 7 notices of questions per
sitting per Member has been fixed and notices received in excess of 7 from
a Member for a day will be kept for subsequent sittings concerning that
Ministry/ Ministries in that Session. Members who intend to give notices
in bulk for the entire Session may do so by indicating their inter se preferences.
In case no such preferences are indicated, notices in excess of 7 per day
will be considered for subsequent sittings on the basis of point of time
of their receipt.
Questions in excess of five given notice of by a member for any one
day may he put down in the list of questions on a subsequent day allotted
to the Group of Ministries. Notices of questions in excess of five which
cannot be included in the list for a day, lapse on the prorogation of a
session and are returned to the members who had, given these notices. Not
more than twenty questions are placed on the list of questions for oral
answers on any one day. The order of preference in which a, member desires
to ask his questions for oral answers on a day should be indicated by him
in the notices. The notices of questions are arranged in the order of priority
obtained by the members in the draw of lot held for each day and after
taking into consideration the order of preference, if any, given by the
member, in respect of all his notices of questions for the day. In, the
absence of any indication of order of preference, notices of Questions
are arranged in the order of their receipt in the Secretariat in point
of time.
The total number of questions to be included in the lists of questions
for oral and written answers for any one day shall be limited to 175 including
20 questions for oral answers, questions postponed from one list of questions
to another for written answers and fifteen questions pertaining to the
States under the President's Rule.
Not more than two members names shall be clubbed to a Starred Question.
Besides the first name which will in accordance with the result of the
draw, the name of the other member clubbed will be in the order in which
his/her notice was received in point of time. The same procedure shall
also be followed in respect of the Short Notice Question.
7. ADMISSIBILITY OF QUESTIONS
Questions should be so worded that they comply with the conditions of
admissibility of questions enumerated in rule 47 of the Rules of Procedure
and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha. Questions containing references
to previous questions and answers in the Rajya Sabha should be made selfcontained
by quoting the number and by giving very briefly the purport of the, previous
question and the date when the question was answered. Question asking for
information with respect to statements or article 'appearing in newspapers
should contain, the specific point in the statements or articles on which
information is required. A copy of the relevant newspapers cutting or the
name of the paper and the date when the statement or the article appeared
in the paper, should as far as possible, also accompany the notice.
Questions regarding legislation should be addressed to the Minister
responsible for the subject matter of the legislation in question and not
to the Minister of Law.
Questions seeking information on matters of past history should be restricted
to a period ordinarily not exceeding three years. Questions relating to
day-to-day administration in respect of public undertakings/autonornous
bodies/statutory corporations are not admitted for answer unless a matter
of policy or public interest is involved.
Questions should be pointed, specific and confined to one issue only
and should not exceed 100 words.
8. AMENDMENT OF QUESTIONS
A member may amend the notice of the question given by him after giving
to the Secretariat fifteen clear day's notice before the date on which
the question is proposed to be asked. In case a question has been disallowed
and the member who has given notice of that question makes representation
for reconsideration of the decision, such representation is considered
on merits and the question if, admitted on reconsideration is put down
for answer on the next available date during the session.
9. QUESTIONS PUT DOWN FOR WRONG DATES
Questions addressed to the appropriate Minister but proposed to be asked
on a date not allotted to his Ministry are, subject to the provisions of
the Rules, put down on the next day allotted for answering questions by
that Minister.
10. QUESTIONS ADDRESSED TO A MINISTER NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUBJECT
MATTER
Member should address their questions invariably to the Ministers concerned.
The transfer of a question from the Minister to whom it is wrongly addressed
by the member to another Minister is before the question is admitted and
printed after effected by the Secretariat written intimation is received
from the Ministry accepting the transfer of the Question. After a question
is admitted and printed, no transfer from one Ministry to another takes
place.
11. PRINTED LISTS OF QUESTIONS
Printed lists of admitted questions are circulated to members at least
five days in advance of the dates on which those are due for answer. Lists
of questions for oral answers are printed on pink paper and those of questions
for written answers on yellow paper. Any case of patent error in the questions
list such as wrong spelling of propel names of wrong clubbing of names
etc., is corrected by the Secretariat by issuing necessary errata in the
matter. Such errors may also be brought to the notice of the Secretariat,
immediately on receipt of printed lists, to enable the Secretariat to issue
necessary errata in the matter.
12. WITHDRAWAL AND POSTPONEMENT OF QUESTIONS
A member may, by notice given at any time before the commencement of
the sitting for which his question has been placed on the list of questions,
withdraw his question or postpone it to a later day to be specified in
the notice and on such later day the postponed question will be placed
on the list after all questions which have not been so postponed. A Starred
Question which is postponed by a member at the request of the Minister
made through the Secretariat will have the same position in the subsequent
list of questions for oral answers as it was having in the earlier list
from which it has been postponed. If on a question being called it is not
put by the member in whose name it stands even though that member is present
in the House or the states that it is not his intention to put the question,
the question is treated as withdrawn and is not printed In the official
debate.
13. ANSWERING OF QUESTIONS OF ABSENT MEMBERS
When all the Starred Questions on the list for which oral answers are
desired, have been called once and the Question Hour is not over, the Chairman
may call again any question which has not been asked by reason of the absence
of that member in whose name it stands. In such a situation the Chairman
may also permit a Member to ask a question standing in the name of another
member who is absent, if so authorised in writing by the absent Member.
In case where no intimation is received from the absent member, the question
is passed over in the House but it is included, together with its answer
in the official debate.
14. INTIMATION OF DISALLOWED QUESTIONS
When a question is disallowed by the Chairman, an intimation to this
effect is given to the Member concerned.
15. STATEMENTS LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE HOUSE IN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
AND COPIES OF ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS STARRED, UNSTARRED ON. SHORT NOTICE QUESTIONS
REFERRED TO IN REPLIES TO STARRED QUESTIONS
Arrangements are made for the supply in advance to Members of copies
of statements to be laid on the Table of the House by Ministers in answer
to questions anti copies of answers to previous Starred, Unstarred or Short
Notice Question referred to in the replies to questions for oral answers.
Members in whose names questions stand in the list may obtain copies of
such statements or answers to previous questions from the Notice Office
or the Lobby.
Five sets each of answers to Starred and Unstarred Questions for the
day are placed in the Rajya Sabha Notice Office at 10.00 A.M. for perusal
by the members. Statements and answers to questions are treated confidential
till the questions are answered on the Floor of the House.
16. SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS
A Member when called by the Chairman may put a supplementary question
for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact regarding which
an answer has been given, but no discussion is permitted during the time
for question in respect of any question or of any answer given to a question.
17. SHORT NOTICE QUESTIONS
With the consent of the Chairman and of the Minister concerned, a Member
may ask a question relating to a matter of public importance with shorter
notice than fifteen clear days. The notice should be given in the standard
printed form available in the Notice Office and the Questions Branch. The
Official designation of the Minister of whom a SNQ is addressed alongwith
the reasons for making the question with shorter notice should be stated
therein. Where no reasons have been assigned in the notice of the question,
the question is returned to the Member.
On receipt of the notice, an enquiry is made from the Minister concerned
whether he is in a position to answer the question at shorter notice and,
if so, the date on which it will be convenient for him to do so.
A copy of the Short Notice Question when admitted is sent to the Member
concerned with a covering letter by the Secretariat stating that the Minister
concerned has accepted to answer the question on a particular date. Admitted
Short Notice Questions are printed on white paper and circulated to all
members alongwith other Parliamentary papers. In case the Minister regrets
his inability to answer the question at short notice, an intimation to
that effect is sent to the Member concerned.
18. HALF-AN-HOUR DISCUSSIONS
Half-an-Hour Discussion is permitted on any day by the Chairman on a
matter of sufficient public importance which has been the subject of a
recent Starred/Unstarred or a Short Notice Question in the House and the
answer to which needs elucidation on a matter of fact. A member wishing
to raise a discussion should give notice in writing in the standard printed
form available in the Notice Office and Question Section three days in
advance of the day on which the matter is desired to be raised and should
mention the Dumber of the question and the date of its answer and briefly
specify the point or points that he wishes to raise during the discussion.
The notice to raise discussion should be accompanied by an explanatory
note stating the reasons for raising the discussion on the matter in question
and should be supported by signature of at least two other members.
The member, in whose name the notice to raise the discussion is admitted,
is informed to that effect as soon as the decision is taken. The member
concerned, when called by the Chairman, makes a short statement and the
Minister concerned replies thereafter. Any Member who has previously intimated
to the Chairman is permitted to put a question for the purpose of further
elucidating any matter of fact. If the Member who has given notice is absent,
any member who has supported the notice may, with the permission of the
Chairman, initiate the discussion.
The first hour of every sitting in the Rajya Sabha is available for
the asking and answering of questions. As the House commences its sitting
at 11.00 A.M., the questions are taken up for answers from 11.00 A.M. to
12.00 Noon. This hour is known as Question Hour. No Business other than
questions is transacted during Question Hour. Certain business such as
oath or affirmation by members or obituary references are, however, taken
up at 11.00 A.M. before questions start. The Question Hour is not extended
beyond 12.00 Noon on that account.