Rajya Sabha 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 the 2002 Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Vice President of India (currently, Venkaiah Naidu) is the "ex-officio" Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. The Deputy Chairman, who is elected from amongst the house'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. The salary and other benefits
Speaker of the Lok Sabha speaker is fixed by the president. Further, all comments and speeches made by members of the House are addressed to the speaker. The speaker also presides over the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament of India. The counterpart of the speaker in the Rajya Sabha (Council of the States) is its chairperson; the Vice President of India is the "ex-officio" chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. On the order of precedence, the Speaker of Lok Sabha ranks sixth, along with the Chief Justice of India. The speaker is answerable to the house. Both the speaker and deputy speaker may