Parliamentary Procedures: Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings

Question Hour

What is it?: The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is termed as Question hour.
Source: It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House.
Three kinds of questions
1. Starred Question: A starred question requires an oral answer and hence supplementary questions can follow. Starred questions are written in green paper.
2. Unstarred Question: An unstarred question requires a written answer and hence, supplementary questions cannot follow. Unstarted questions is written in white paper
3. Short Notice Question: A short notice question is one that is asked by giving a notice of less than ten days. It is answered orally.Short notice questions are written in light pink.
Who can ask?: In addition to the ministers, the questions can also be asked to the private members and it is written in yellow colour paper.

Zero Hour

Source: Zero Hour is an Indian parliamentary innovation. It is not mentioned in the parliamentary rules book.
What is it?
- Under this, MPs can raise matters without any prior notice.
- The zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up.

Motions

The motions moved by the members to raise discussions on various matters fall into three principal categories
1. Substantive Motion: It is a self-contained independent proposal dealing with a very important matter like impeachment of the President.
2. Substitute Motion: It is a motion that is moved in substitution of an original motion and proposes an alternative to it. If adopted by the House, it supersedes the original motion.
3. Subsidiary Motion: It is a motion that, by itself, has no meaning and cannot state the decision of the House without reference to the original motion or proceedings of the House.

Other Type	Features
Closure Motion	It is a motion moved by a member to cut short the debate on a matter before the House. Types Simple Closure – It is one when a member moves that the ‘matter having been sufficiently discussed be now put to vote’. Closure by Compartments -The clauses of a bill or a lengthy resolution are grouped into parts before the commencement of the debate. The debate covers the part as a whole and the entire part is put to vote. Kangaroo Closure – Under this type, only important clauses are taken up for debate and voting and the intervening clauses are skipped over and taken as passed. Guillotine Closure – It is one when the undiscussed clauses of a bill or a resolution are also put to vote along with the discussed ones due to want of time
Privilege Motion	It is moved by a member when he feels that a minister has committed a breach of privilege of the House or one or more of its members by withholding facts of a case or by giving wrong or distorted facts.
Calling Attention Motion	It is introduced in the Parliament by a member to call the attention of a minister to a matter of urgent public importance
Adjournment Motion	A motion for adjournment is moved to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance and must be of immediate concern, with the Speaker’s consent. It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted. This motion is available in the Lok Sabha but not in the Rajya Sabha.
No-Confidence Motion	This is a motion moved in the Lok Sabha to test the confidence of the government. The motion needs the support of 50 members to be admitted. If a no-confidence motion is passed, the government must resign.
Confidence Motion	It is passed when the governments formed with wafer-thin majority have been called upon by the President to prove their majority on the floor of the House Passage indicates the government’s continued mandate to govern.
Censure Motion	It can be moved against an individual minister or a group of ministers or the entire council of ministers. It is moved for censuring the council of ministers for specific policies and actions.
Motion of Thanks	It is a parliamentary procedure to express gratitude for the President’s Address at the commencement of Lok Sabha. At the end of the discussion, the motion is put to vote. This motion must be passed in the House. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government.
No-Day-Yet-Named Motion	It is a motion that has been admitted by the Speaker but no date has been fixed for its discussion.
Dilatory Motion	It is a motion for the adjournment of the debate on a bill / motion / resolution etc. or a motion to retard or delay the progress of a business under consideration of the House. It can be moved by a member at any time after a motion has been made.
Cut Motion	Proposed to reduce the amount of a demand in the budget. Their passage by the Lok Sabha amounts to the expressions of want of parliamentary confidence in the government and may lead to its resignation.
Short Duration Discussion	Under Rule 193 of the Lok Sabha rules and Rule 176 of the Rajya Sabha rules, short duration discussions can take place. A short duration discussion allows MPs to discuss a specific issue of public importance without voting on it. The debate usually takes place for a fixed duration, not exceeding two hours.
Motion with a Vote	This type of motion is brought under Rule 184 in the Lok Sabha. It allows for a debate with a vote on a specific question, and the outcome of the vote determines Parliament’s position on the issue.

Resolutions

The members can move resolutions to draw the attention of the House or the government to matters of general public interest.
A member who has moved a resolution or amendment to a resolution cannot withdraw the same except by leave of the House.
Type
1. Private Member’s Resolution: It is one that is moved by a private member and It is discussed only on alternate Fridays and in the afternoon sitting.
2. Government Resolution: It is moved by a minister and it can be taken up any day from Monday to Thursday.
3. Statutory Resolution: It can be moved either by a private member or a minister and it is always tabled in pursuance of a provision in the Constitution or an Act of Parliament.

Youth Parliament

Objectives are:
- to acquaint the younger generations with practices and procedures of Parliament;
- to imbibe the spirit of discipline and tolerance cultivating character in the minds of youth;
- to inculcate in the student community the basic values of democracy and to enable them to acquire a proper perspective on the functioning of democratic institutions.