For diplomacy and lawmaking – two key aspects of the Indian government’s functions – 2022 proved to be an interesting year. On global stages, India sought to highlight its exceptionalism as within the country, lack of detailed discussion in parliament led to sustained opposition protests, in spite of which laws were passed quickly.
Below are some highlights selected by journalists covering the two areas.
External affairs
2022 will remain etched in history as the year that Russia invaded Ukraine, with the rest of the world scrambling to find their footing on the shifting sands of geopolitics. The Ukraine war may be in the European continent, but its impact has resonated worldwide, with food and energy prices rocketing up and having a domino impact on the global economy just emerging from the covid pandemic.
The pattern of Indian response was set when Russian troops amassed at the border and had not yet stepped onto Ukrainian soil. At the first UNSC meeting on Ukraine on January 30, India refrained from directly criticising Moscow. It called for immediate de-escalation of tensions and the need for “quiet and constructive diplomacy”. The addition made by India was the need to respect the “UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states” in its explanation of vote for the first UNSC resolution on the Ukraine war. It was, of course, also the first of the abstention votes cast by India on resolutions criticising Russia at various UN bodies.
In western capitals, there was some handwringing over India buying discounted Russian crude, but there were no public recriminations from western foreign offices except through media columns. The MEA-backed flagship international seminar, the Raisina dialogue held in April, was an example of India’s tightrope walk. European leaders got the top billing, while the Russian delegation was allegedly kept low-key by the hosts.
At the same time, the Indian external affairs minister kept up with his public broadsides against European exceptionalism, which was a popular line for the Indian domestic audience.
During most of 2021, India’s argument against any criticism of buying Russian oil was to point at European purchases. When Europe started bringing down its energy dependence on Russia, Jaishankar complained that the European acquisition of Gulf oil was driving up prices for traditional buyers like India.
For India, the most extensive diplomatic operation in 2021 was the extraction of 22,500 Indian students from Ukraine after Russian troops rolled across the border, instantly turning large parts of the country into a war zone. One Indian student was killed in shelling at Kyiv, where he was standing in line to buy food. Despite the government claiming that it did enough, there are still questions remaining on whether it delayed issuing advisory to students to get out of Ukraine immediately.
Even though India’s relations with China were not as tense as last year, the clash in Arunachal in December 2021 demonstrated that the volatility at the border would continue to cast a shadow. It was the first major clash since the June 2020 Galwan valley that left over 23 soldiers dead.
Before the Arunachal incident, there had seemed to be a slight thaw in relations heralded by the surprise visit of the Chinese foreign minister to New Delhi and the disengagement in four friction points in eastern Ladakh. The Indian external affairs minister Jaishankar termed the verification of PP-15 as “one problem less”. In November, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands for the first time since the Ladakh stand-off began.
But, there continues to be fundamental differences over the resolution of the two remaining stand-off points at Depsang and Demchok.
Meanwhile, India and China continue to differ on the normalisation of ties, even as trade between the two Asian giants flourished.
With India to host both the SCO and G20 summits in 2023, the guessing game is whether President Xi will visit New Delhi twice in the same year.
– Devirupa Mitra
Parliament
A total of 25 Bills were passed by both Houses of parliament during the three sessions in the calendar year 2022. Despite differences between the government and the opposition over a variety of issues, which resulted in several protests, disruptions and walkouts, both Houses did a substantial amount of business.
It may be recalled that the opposition had vehemently opposed the 2022 Budget, describing it as anti-people and anti-poor during the Budget Session. It had also protested against the Union government’s refusal to allow a discussion on the issue of price rise and inflation for several weeks during the Monsoon Session, and against its reluctance to allow a discussion on the China border issue during the Winter Session.
Yet, the productivity of the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session 2022 was approximately 129% and that of the Rajya Sabha was 98%; in the Monsoon Session, this dropped sharply to 48% in the Lok Sabha and 44% in the Rajya Sabha. However, the Winter Session saw a return to higher levels, with the productivity of the Lok Sabha approximately at 97% and that of the Rajya Sabha was nearly 103%.
Both Houses passed 11 Bills during Budget Session
Several important Bills were also passed during the year. As per government data, in the Budget Session, a total of 13 Bills (12 in the Lok Sabha and 1 in the Rajya Sabha) were introduced. While 13 Bills were passed by the Lower House, 11 Bills were passed by the Upper House. The total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament was 11.
Some of the major Bills passed were:
The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022: It authorised the taking of measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022: It sought to (i) unify the three municipal corporations into a single, integrated and well-equipped entity; (ii) ensure a robust mechanism for synergised and strategic planning and optimal utilisation of resources; (iii) bring about greater transparency, improved governance and more efficient delivery of civic service for the people of Delhi.
Monsoon Session
During the Monsoon Session, six Bills were introduced and seven were passed in the Lok Sabha, while five Bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha. Apart from this, five Bills were passed by both Houses of Parliament during the session. Some of the major Bills passed were:
The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022: This Bill sought to amend the parent Act to provide for the establishment of Family Courts in Himachal Pradesh with effect from February 15, 2019 and in Nagaland with effect from September 12, 2008; and for insertion of a new section 3A to retrospectively validate all actions under the parent Act taken by these state governments.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022: This Bill sought to (a) prohibit financing of any activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems; (b) empower the Union government to (i) freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing; (ii) prohibit making available funds, financial assets or economic resources for any prohibited activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
The Indian Antarctica Bill, 2022: The Bill provided for national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021: It provided for the constitution of the National Anti-Doping Agency for regulating anti-doping activities in sports and to give effect to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Convention against doping in sport, and compliance of such other obligations and commitments thereunder and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Opposition members protest in well of the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament, July 18. Photo: PTI.
Nine Bills passed by both Houses during the Winter Session
In the Winter Session, nine Bills were passed by both Houses. Overall, nine Bills were introduced and seven Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha; nine Bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha.
Some of the major Bills passed by both Houses during the Session were:
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022: It sought to increase the species protected under the law, and implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022: This Bill sought to (a) mandate the use of non-fossil sources, including Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Biomass and Ethanol for energy and feedstock; (b) establish Carbon Markets; (c) bring large residential buildings within the fold of Energy Conservation regime; (d) enhance the scope of Energy Conservation Building Code; (e) amend penalty provisions; (f) increase members in the Governing Council of Bureau of Energy Efficiency; and (g) empower the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions to make regulations for smooth discharge of its functions.
The Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill, 2022: It proposed to make special provisions for the repression of piracy on high seas and to provide for punishment for the offence of piracy.
Parliament also passed three Constitution (ST) Order Amendment Bills during the Winter Session.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by both Houses. It sought to include the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 led to the inclusion of Betta-Kuruba as a synonym for the Kadu Kuruba community in the list of STs in Karnataka.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was also passed by both Houses. It provided for including the transfer of the Gond community from the list of SCs to STs and the inclusion of Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari and Rajgond in the list of STs of Uttar Pradesh in the four districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli and Bhadohi.
– Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar