The 17th Lok Sabha: 2019-24
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SESSION-WISE PRODUCTIVITY
2019
Budget session
Akhilesh Singh, July 18, 2019: The Times of India
Encouraged by the proceedings in Parliament in the current session which has been the most productive in the last 20 years, the government is contemplating to extend the sittings for a few more days, a day after PM Narendra Modi dropped hints about it while addressing the BJP parliamentary party meet on Tuesday.
Several legislations are still pending and the government is keen on getting most of them cleared by extending the session rather than calling a separate Monsoon session. “After the current session, the next will be the winter session,” a source said.
A senior functionary said, “There is a possibility of the extension of the session. However, formal decision in this regard is likely in a few days.”
As the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha has been working for more than its scheduled time, its productivity has been the highest in the past 20 years. According to data released by PRS, Lok Sabha’s productivity till July 16 is at 128% which is the highest for any session in the past 20 years. Next highest were the Budget session in 2016 and winter session in 2014 clocking almost 125% of productivity. On July 11, the productivity of Lok Sabha was the highest as the House discussed Demand for Grants for ministry of railways till midnight. Sources said Speaker Om Birla had urged the Lok Sabha secretariat to look at the logistical support till early morning as initial plan was to go ahead till 3am.
A productive session
Ambika Pandit, August 7, 2019: The Times of India
Most fruitful LS session in 20 years
As many as 35 bills were passed in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, which worked for 281 hours through 37 sittings, which is the highest for any lower House session in the past 20 years, according to an analysis by PRS Legislative Research. It said Lok Sabha members worked for 135% of the scheduled hours, reports Ambika Pandit.
Speaker Om Birla said in his valedictory address that the first session of this Lok Sabha was more productive than the opening session of India’s first LS in 1952, when 24 bills were passed in 67 sittings.
Winter session
116% productivity
The Lok Sabha recorded productivity of 116% in the winter session while for Rajya Sabha it was at 99%, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said on Friday, the last day of the session.
Fourteen bills were passed by the Lower House while 15 bills were passed by Rajya Sabha. Overall, 15 bills were passed by both Houses of Parliament, Joshi said Noting that the historic 250th session of Rajya Sabha was marked by “seriousness and brevity”, chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu complimented the MPs for improving the quality of debates on several issues, ranging from the state of the economy and the Pegasus spyware to the Surrogacy and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Naidu said, “While the last session recorded productivity of 104% by availing more than the available time for transacting business, this session too has clocked 100% productivity.”
“This is perhaps for the first time that this house has recorded 100% productivity for two successive sessions…I am glad that all of you have collectively risen to the occasion and kept up the happy tide,” he said, in his valedictory address before adjourning Rajya Sabha sine die.
Addressing a press conference after both Houses were adjourned sine die, Joshi said that this is perhaps for the first time when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was interrupted by Congress members when he was making concluding remarks about the session.
As against the total scheduled time of 108 hours and 33 minutes during this session with 20 sittings, Rajya Sabha functioned for 107 hours and 11 minutes, resulting in a productivity of 99%. A total of 11 hours and 47 minutes, accounting for about 11% of the available time, was lost due to interruptions. “But spurred by the sense of duty, the members sat for 10 hours and 52 minutes beyond the scheduled hours, resulting in productivity of close to 100% during this session,” said Naidu.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, the Citizen (Amendment) Bill, The Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill extending reservations for SCs and STs in legislatures by another 10 years, the ban on e-cigarettes and the International Financial Services Centre Bill were among the 15 legislations passed by the Upper House during the session.
“I am particularly happy over all of you collectively demonstrating that parliamentary democracy is more about contestation of ideas and ideologies than confrontation, which carries a tinge of conflict in its womb. The quality of debates on several occasions bear this out,” the RS chairman added.
2021
Monsoon
Hours lost in August
From: August 12, 2021: The Times of India
See graphic:
Hours lost in August 2021 in Parliament
2020
Monsoon session
September 24, 2020: The Times of India
From: September 24, 2020: The Times of India
4th-shortest RS monsoon session ends 8 days ahead of schedule
25 Bills Passed, 6 Introduced In 10 Sittings
With over 30 members of Parliament and several more staffers testing positive for coronavirus, the monsoon session was curtailed on Wednesday with both Houses managing to hold only 10 sittings instead of the 18 that were scheduled between September 14 and October 1.
With this, the 252nd session of the Rajya Sabha got the distinction of being the fourth shortest among 69 monsoon sessions held so far, since the upper House was established in 1952. “In the 10 sittings, 25 bills were passed and six bills introduced,” RS chairman Venkaiah Naidu said.
According to RS secretariat’s publication ‘Rajya Sabha Statistical Information 1952-2018’ and official records, the other monsoon sessions of the House that were even shorter were the 110th session held in July 1979 and the 187th session in October 1999, both of which had only six sittings each.
Overall, the shortest RS session had only one sitting on August 20, 1979, as former PM Charan Singh quit the same day, leading to the fall of the Janata Party government. The 89th session of the House held during July-September 1974, in contrast, holds the record for the longest monsoon session yet, with 40 sittings. Of the 69 monsoon sessions so far, only four, including the one that ended, finished with 10 or less sittings.
25 bills passed, 16 introduced in LS during monsoon session
So far, 16 sessions have had between 11 and 20 sittings each, 40 sessions had between 21 and 30 sittings, while nine sessions had between 31 and 39 sittings.
This year too, with extraordinary preparations in place, the monsoon session of Parliament was scheduled to hold 18 sittings, with the Houses meeting even over the weekends from September 14. However, the presiding officers, the government, and opposition parties agreed to curtain the session in light of the rapid spread of coronavirus, and with close to 60 MPs and staffers getting infected just before and during the session.
However, both Houses of Parliament recorded 100% productivity, despite the protracted disruptions on the penultimate day and a boycott by opposition parties on the last day of the session.
Lok Sabha spent 68% of its sittings — over 60 hours — during the 10-day period on legislative business. Overall, while 16 bills were introduced in Lok Sabha during the monsoon session, the lower House passed 25 bills, including the farm bills, the three labour code bills, a legislation that approved a 30% reduction in salary, allowances and pension of MPs and the freeze for two years on their MPLAD funds, the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill and the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, among others.
While question hour was suspended in this session, members raised 370 issues during Zero Hour. The proceedings of the House also included 40 statements by various ministers, including those on coronavirus, on minimum support price for agri produce and the prevailing situation on the Ladakh border.
Record productivity
Mini LS session saw record productivity, September 25, 2020: The Times of India
Adjourned sine die eight days ahead of its scheduled duration, the curtailed monsoon session of Lok Sabha witnessed a record 167% productivity with several key bills passed, although the opposition walked out of the proceedings on the last day in protest against the fracas that took place in Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha passed 25 bills and 16 were reintroduced as the government had laid out its agenda of getting the bills cleared, many of them ordinances. While 37 hours were scheduled in the 10 sittings that took place in 10 days without a single break, the House worked for over 60 hours, including weekends. While 68% of the time was for legislative business, the remaining was used for Zero Hour and debates.
Speaker O P Birla said, “This session was being held under unprecedented times, am glad that all members rose to the occasion and placed their duties as public representatives on their topmost priority.” In Zero Hour, 370 MPs raised issues. As many as 181 issues of public importance were raised via Rule 377 and 855 papers tabled by ministers. Out of 78 women MPs, 60 spoke during the 10 day proceedings. Besides, 2,300 unstarred questions were answered by the government.
2021
Budget session
March 26, 2021: The Times of India
The Budget session, which was adjourned sine die on Thursday, saw the Lok Sabha record 114% productivity despite frequent adjournments during the first few days. The Union Budget was discussed for 14 hours and 42 minutes, in which a total of 146 members participated.
While the Rajya Sabha witnessed high productivity and passing of 19 bills, chairman Venkiah Naidu expressed concern over “less attendance” of MPs and the duration of the meetings which, he said, needed further improvement. “This house functioned a total of 104 hours 23 minutes against the total scheduled time of 116 hours and 31 minutes during these 23 sittings,” Naidu said, adding that “this in effect means that the productivity of the House, including both the parts of the Budget session, have been about 90%.”
“A total of 21 hours and 26 minutes of the house has been lost due to disruption during this session,” he added. However, he also said that the house sat 14 hours and 28 minutes beyond the time to complete legislative and other business. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who presided over the House for the whole session but had to skip the last few days after testing Covid positive, expressed gratitude to all the MPs for running the House smoothly.
Like previous sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha, record work was accomplished during the fifth (budget session) with a total of 24 sittings, lasting for 132 hours.
The productivity of the House during this session stood at 114%. During the session, the Upper House witnessed a “passionate and quality” debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address and the Union Budget, said Naidu. During the session, 17 government bills were introduced and 18 bills were passed by the Lok Sabha.
A total of 171 reports were presented by parliamentary committees.
2022
Budget session
April 8, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: The Budget session of Parliament had 27 sittings over two months, and witnessed spirited debates on a range of issues. The Lok Sabha recorded productivity of 129% and Rajya Sabha almost 99%.
At a press conference after Parliament was adjourned sine die, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the 27 sittings held lasted for about 177 hours and 50 minutes. “The overall productivity of the House stood at 129% in the Eighth Session. Also, the House sat till late for over 40 hours and discussed important issues,” Birla said.
“Going by the past experiences, the productivity in the budget session is satisfying for which I thank all parties, who took part in healthy discussions,” he said.
See also
Parliament: India (general issues): Issues that pertain to both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
The 15th Lok Sabha: 2009-14: Productivity
The 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19): MPs : A complete list of the MPs elected in 2014.
The 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19): trends
The 17th Lok Sabha (2019- 24): trends : Trends in the Lok Sabha Elections.
The 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24): MPs: A complete list of the MPs elected in 2019.
The 17th Lok Sabha: 2019-24: Productivity and work done session by session Productivity, and work done session by session
The 18th Lok Sabha (2024- ): MPs: A complete list of the MPs elected in 2024.
The 18th Lok Sabha (2024- ): trends: Trends in the Lok Sabha Elections.
The 18th Lok Sabha: 2024- : Productivity and work done session by session
