Rajya SabhaTheRajya SabhaorCouncil of Statesis theupper houseof theParliament of India. Membership of Rajya Sabha is limited by the Constitution to a maximum of 250 members, and current laws have provision for 245 members. Most of the members of the House are indirectly elected bystate and territoriallegislatures using single transferable votes, while thePresident of Indiacan appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services. Members sit for staggered six-year terms, with one third of the members retiring every two years.The Rajya Sabha meets in continuous sessions, and unlike theLok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, is not subject to dissolution. The Rajya Sabha has equal footing in all areas of legislation with Lok Sabha, except in the area ofsupply, where the Lok Sabha has overriding powers. In the case of conflicting legislation, a joint sitting of the two houses can be held. However, since the Lok Sabha has twice as many members as the Rajya Sabha, the former would normally hold the greater power. Joint sittings of the Houses of Parliament of India are rare, and in the history of the Republic, only three such joint-sessions have been held; the latest one for the passage of the2002 Prevention of Terrorism Act.TheVice President of India(currently,Hamid Ansari) is theex-officioChairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. TheDeputy Chairman, who is elected from amongst the RS's members, takes care of the day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the Chairman. The Rajya Sabha held its first sitting on 13 May 1952.[5]The salary and other benefits for a member of Rajya Sabha are same as for a member of Lok Sabha.Because Rajya Sabha members are elected by state legislatures rather than directly through the electorate, and also because of the STV method of election of the Rajya Sabha members, it is not uncommon for the sitting government to not to have majority in Rajya Sabha, while it must have a majority in Lok Sabha. The current government led byPrime MinisterNarendra Modidoes not have a majority in Rajya Sabha.[6]Rajya Sabha sits in Rajya Sabha Chamber in Parliament House,New Delhi.Contents Qualifications[edit]Article 84 of the Constitution lays down the qualifications for membership of Parliament. A member of the Rajya Sabha must: Be a citizen of India Make and subscribe before some person authorized in that behalf by the Election Commission an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule to the Constitution; Be at least 30 years old; Possess such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament. Be elected by theLegislative Assemblyof States and Union territories by means ofSingle transferable votethroughProportional representation.In addition, twelve members are nominated by thePresident of Indiahaving special knowledge in various areas like Arts, Science etc. However they are not entitled to vote in Presidential elections as per Article 55 of theIndian Constitution.Limitations[edit]The Constitution of India places some restrictions on Rajya Sabha which makesLok Sabhamore powerful in certain areas in comparison.Money Bills[edit]Money bills, as defined in the Constitution of India Art. 109, can only be introduced in Lok Sabha. If Lok Sabha passed a Money Bill, and transmitted it to Rajya Sabha, Rajya Sabha has only fourteen days to return the bill (with or without amendments) to Lok Sabha. If Rajya Sabha fails to return the bill in fourteen days, the bill is deemed to have passed by both the Houses. Also, if Lok Sabha rejects any (or all) of the amendments proposed by Rajya Sabha, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both Houses of Parliament in the form Lok Sabha finally passes it. Hence, Rajya Sabha cannot stall, or amend a Money Bill without Lok Sabha's concurrence on the same.[7]Joint Sitting of the Parliament[edit]Article 108 provides for a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament in certain cases. A joint sitting can be convened by the President of India when one house has either rejected a bill passed by the other house, have not taken any action on a bill transmitted to it by the other house for six months, or has disagreed to the amendments proposed by the other house on a bill passed by it. Considering that the strength of Lok Sabha is more than twice that of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha tends to have a greater influence in a joint sitting of Parliament. A joint session is chaired by the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Also, because the joint session is convened by the President on advice of the government, which already has a majority in Lok Sabha, the joint session is usually convened to get bills passed through a Rajya Sabha in which the government has a minority. Joint sessions of Parliament are a rarity, and have been convened 3 times in last 60 years, latest in 2002: 1961: Dowry Prohibition Act, 1958 1978: Banking Services Commission (Repeal) Act, 1977 2002: Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002