Winter Session of Parliament: Productivity of Rajya Sabha at 18%, Lok Sabha at 46%

parliament

The Winter Session of Parliament ended on January 9 shortly after the Rajya Sabha passed The Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019.

The Upper House had been extended by a day to help pass the constitutional amendment bill. The Lok Sabha ended on January 8, after clearing the same bill.

According to reports citing data, productivity of the session was the third-lowest in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Productivity of the Lok Sabha was 46 percent while that of the Rajya Sabha was 18 percent, according to data from PRS Legislative Research (PRS).

The Lok Sabha spent majority of its time on legislative business. The Rajya Sabha spent around 71 percent of its time on non-legislative and other businesses.

During the session, ministers answered 30 and 31 questions in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively.

Sittings

The Lok Sabha sat for 46 percent of its scheduled time whereas the Rajya Sabha sat for 26 percent.

The Lower House was adjourned on 14 out of the 17 days while the Upper House was adjourned on 16 out of the 18 days.

Time spent on bills

As many as 17 bills were introduced in Parliament. The total time spent on discussing the Triple Talaq Bill and the quota bill by both Houses was more than four hours and 50 minutes each.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which was not discussed in the Rajya Sabha, witnessed a discussion of almost three hours in the Lok Sabha.

The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 and The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018, were also discussed for over one hour each, in both Houses.

Bills passed and referred

As many as five bills were passed by Parliament. These were: The Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019; The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill 2017; The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017; The Appropriation (No. 6) Bill, 2018 and The National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018, The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 were passed by the Lok Sabha.

The Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018 was referred to a Select Committee.

As many as 74 bills remained pending at the end of the session.

Six-hour Rafale debate

The Lok Sabha also held debates unrelated to legislative business. This included discussion on imposition of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir and natural calamities in various parts of the country, particularly Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha with special reference to cyclones Gaja, Titli, etc.

The House also debated issues relating to the Rafale deal. The debate went on for over six hours between January 2 and January 4.