Motion of Thanks

• 04 Feb 2022

For Prelims: Motions in Parliament, Pegasus spyware, Covid-19 pandemic

For Mains: Parliament, Motions in Parliament

Why in News

Recently, amendments to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address were proposed (However, not passed).

• The amendment proposal mentioned the government’s alleged use of Pegasus spyware and its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is the Motion of Thanks?

• Article 87 provides for the special address by the President.
• The article provides that at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform Parliament of the causes of its summons.
• Such an Address is called 'special address', and it is also an annual feature.
• This Address has to be to both Houses of Parliament assembled together.

What is the Content of the President of Address?

• The President's Address is the statement of policy of the Government and, as such, is drafted by the Government.
• The Address contains a review of various activities and achievements of the Government during the previous year and sets out the policies, projects and programmes which the Government of the day wishes to pursue with regard to the important national and international issues.
• The Address also indicates, in broad terms, items of legislative business which are proposed to be brought during the sessions to be held in that year.
• The address of the president, which corresponds to the ‘speech from the Throne in Britain’, is discussed in both the Houses of Parliament on a motion called the ‘Motion of Thanks’.
• If any of the amendments are put forward and accepted then the Motion of Thanks is adopted in the amended form.
  • Amendments may refer to matters contained in the Address as well as to matters which, in the opinion of the member, the Address has failed to mention.
• At the end of the discussion, the motion is put to vote.

What is the Significance of Motion of Thanks?

• The Motion of Thanks must be passed in the House. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government. It is one of the ways through which the Lok Sabha can also express a lack of confidence in the government. The other ways are:
  • Rejection of a money bill.
  • Passing a censure motion or an adjournment motion.
  • The defeat of the government on a vital issue.
  • Passing a cut motion.

Other Motions in Indian Parliament
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. Its purpose is to censure the concerned minister. It can be moved in Rajya Sabha as well as Lok Sabha.
Censure Motion	It should state the reasons for its adoption in the Lok Sabha. It can be moved against an individual minister or a group of ministers or the entire council of ministers. It is moved to censure the council of ministers for specific policies and actions. It can be moved only in Lok Sabha.
Call-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, and to seek an authoritative statement from him on that matter. It can be moved in Rajya Sabha as well as Lok Sabha.
Adjournment Motion	It is introduced in the Lok Sabha to draw the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance. It involves an element of censure against the government. It can be moved only in Lok Sabha.
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. It can be moved in Rajya Sabha as well as Lok Sabha.
No Confidence Motion	Article 75 of the Constitution says that the council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. In other words, the Lok Sabha can remove the ministry from office by passing a no-confidence motion. The motion needs the support of 50 members to be admitted. It can be moved only in Lok Sabha.
Cut Motions	A cut motion is a special power vested in members of the Lok Sabha to oppose a demand being discussed for specific allocation by the government in the Finance Bill as part of the Demand for Grants. If the motion is adopted, it amounts to a no-confidence vote, and if the government fails to jot up numbers in the lower House, it is obliged to resign according to the norms of the House. A motion may be moved to reduce the amount of a demand in any of the following ways: Policy Cut Motion: It is moved so that the amount of the demand be reduced to Re.1 (represents disapproval of the policy underlying the demand). Economy Cut Motions: It is moved so that the amount of the demand will be reduced by a specified amount. Token Cut Motions: It is moved so that the amount of the demand is reduced by Rs.100 (expresses a specific grievance). It can be moved only in Lok Sabha.

Source: TH