New Delhi: A heavy legislative agenda awaits the winter session of Parliament beginning December 1, 2004 with 40 new Bills slated for introduction including Lok Pal, law to replace POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and Patents Amendment measure.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had opposed POTA, which was passed in a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament during the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) regime and is now bringing a bill to repeal it and replace it with Prevention of Unlawful Activities Amendment Bill.

The Lok Pal Bill, which proposes to bring the office of the Prime Minister within its ambit, is also listed in the agenda for the coming session. However, the Cabinet is yet to clear it.

Besides these bills, the session slated for 17 days, is also expected to take up a variety of issues for discussion. However, the Constitution Amendment Bill giving 33 per cent reservation of seats in Lok Sabha and Assemblies to women that had lapsed twice in the past because of vehement opposition from various sections in the Lok Sabha, is not even listed in the agenda of bills to be taken up in the House.

Six Bills have been referred to the Standing Committees of the Parliament while two are pending in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha.

A Bill to replace the Ordinance for setting up of a National Commission on minorities' educational institutions is also listed in the agenda of Government business.

The Commission for Minority Educational Institutions would look into complaints regarding violation of rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice and to permit such institutions to seek direct affiliation to a Central University.

However, the Bill to set up the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, which is slated to be brought in the coming session, to oversee downstream oil refining and marketing of petroleum products, natural gas sales and transportation and product and gas pipelines, has been referred to a Group Of Ministers (GOM).