PARLIAMENTARY TERMS

 

An Act is a Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President .

A Committee constituted by the House or by the Chairman or by the presiding officers of both the Houses jointly to consider and report on specific matter and becomes functus officio as soon as the task is completed.

 It means termination of a sitting of the House without any definite date being fixed for the next sitting .

Question hour is the first hour of a sitting of the House allotted for asking and answering of questions .

The minimum number of members required to be present at a sitting of the House or a Committee for valid transaction of its business, which is one-tenth of the total number of members of the House, as provided under article 100(3) of the Constitution.

The time immediately following the question hour has come to be known as " Zero Hour ". It starts at around 12 noon (hence the name) and members can, with prior notice to the Speaker, raise issues of importance during this time .

Summons is an official communication issued by the Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha under the orders of the President to the Members of Rajya Sabha informing them of the place, date and time of the commencement of a session of Rajya Sabha. 

Expunction is deletion of words, phrases or expressions from the proceedings or records of Rajya Sabha by an order of the Chairman for being defamatory or indecent or unparliamentary or undignified .

A question to which a member wishes to have an oral answer on the floor of the House and which is distinguished by an asterisk. 

A question which is not called for oral answer in the House and the written answer to such a question is deemed to have been laid on the table .

The vote cast by the Chairman, or a Member acting as such in the House and by the Chairman or a Member acting as such in a Committee, in the case of an equality of votes on a matter.

Cut motion is a motion moved by a member to reduce the amount of demand for grant . 

A vote on account, as defined by Article 116 of the Indian Constitution, is a grant in advance for the central government to meet short-term expenditure needs from the Consolidated Fund of India, generally lasting for a few months till the new financial year kicks in .