Latest revision as of 19:04, 5 January 2025

[edit] 2024

[edit] Budget session

[edit] Productivity

Aug 10, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : The Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday, one sitting ahead of the scheduled end of the session, with the two Houses passing several key pieces of legislation, including the Finance Bill, 2024, and the Appropriation Bill, 2024 — both crucial for the Union Budget.


The session gained significance after the introduction of the contentious Waqf Board Bill, which was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee in the wake of opposition parties’ strong resistance.


“As many as 15 sittings were held during the Session lasting for 115 hours and the productivity of the House during the Session was 136%,” said LS Speaker Om Birla in his valedictory address.


Lok Sabha functioned for 123% of its scheduled time and Rajya Sabha for 110%. As many as 12 govt bills were introduced and four bills were passed, during the session. Be- sides the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill, the other bills which were passed included the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill and Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024.
Speaker Om Birla said 86 starred questions were answered orally during the session.


A total of 400 matters of urgent public importance were raised by members during the Zero Hour and 358 matters were taken up under Rule 377.


Birla said during the session, 25 statements were made under Direction 73A and a total number of 30 statements including two statements given by the minister of parliamentary affairs in connection with parliamentary business and three suo moto statements by ministers were given. As many as 1,345 papers were laid on the table of the House.


Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die amidst opposition walkouts that disrupted the House proceedings.


Parliamentary affairs and minority affairs minister, Kiren Rijiju on Friday thanked the presiding officers of both Houses and said that the Parliament saw very good business transactions in both Houses along with active participation from the members.


“After many years, neither the Budget session nor the entire Parliament session was washed out for a single day, and we saw good business transactions in both Houses along with active participation from the members. On behalf of all the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and the govt, I want to thank the Chairman of both Houses for their great help in running the Houses,” Rijiju said at a pres conference.

[edit] Winter session

Akhilesh Singh, Dec 21, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : Parliament’s winter session, adjourned sine die on Friday, was one of the most tumultuous in recent memory, characterised by violence, protests and a significant drop in productivity.


Despite the disruptions, the session introduced the one nation, one election bills and the two Houses held a two-day debate on 75 years of the Constitution. The session operated for roughly half its scheduled time, with Lok Sabha functioning for 57% of its scheduled time and Rajya Sabha for 43% (as of Dec 18).


Dissatisfaction with the session was evident as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla skipped the customary valedictory speech. Instead, he issued a stern warning just before ‘Vande Mataram’ was played to signify the session’s end.

Discord in House stark, just one bill has been passed in first 6 months of 18th Lok Sabha

Do not resort to demonstrations or protests at any gate or anywhere within the Parliament premises. Otherwise, the House will take serious action,” Birla said amidst sloganeering by o pposition MPs. “It is improper to hold any protests or demonstrations at any of Parliament’s gates. You must follow the rules in this regard. I urge you once again to take this warning seriously.”


Birla adjourned Lok Sabha within three minutes without summarising the session’s highlights. Notably, opposition leaders did not attend the traditional tea hosted by the Speaker, resulting in no photo release from the secretariat. 
PM Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president J P Nadda, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and leaders from other NDA parties assembled in Birla’s chamber after the session was adjourned.


The discord between the treasury and opposition sides was stark, with only one bill — Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak — passed in the first six months of 18th Lok Sabha, marking the lowest legislative output in the last six terms according to PRS Legislative Research.


The functioning of question hour in the winter session was severely hampered; in Rajya Sabha, it did not function for 15 out of 19 days while in Lok Sabha, it went on for more than 10 minutes on only eight out of 20 days. Also, there was no private mem- bers’ business in Lok Sabha, and only one resolution was discussed in the upper House.


In his closing remarks, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged parties to transcend political differences and restore the dignity of parliamentary discourse, amid criticisms of partisanship from the opposition. 
The session hit its nadir with physical altercations on Thursday, involving MPs from rival parties, which resulted in two BJP members landing in hospital and an FIR against Rahul Gandhi. The session’s highlight, however, was the two-day discussion on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India’.