IGI Logo

The Rajya Sabha clocked productivity of 99.80 per cent during the Budget Session that concluded on Thursday while it missed the 100 per cent landmark by just 10 minutes.

"This has been the third best productivity of the House during the last 14 sessions since the Monsoon Session (243rd Session) of 2017," the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu did not make the customary valedictory remarks on the last day of the Session as some sections of the House created a ruckus.

As against the scheduled 29 sittings, the House held 27 sittings including 10 during the first part of the Budget Session and 17 during the second part that concluded on Thursday. Two sittings were given up ahead of Holi and Ram Navami on the suggestions from leaders of various parties in the House, the statement read.

The Budget Session started on a positive note without disruptions and forced adjournments during the first 12 full sittings, the best such a stretch during the last about three years. The House witnessed forced adjournments on six days, all during the second part of the session. The Members sat beyond the scheduled hours on 11 days. In all, 21 of the 27 sittings were free of forced adjournments.

While functional time of nine hours 26 minutes was lost due to disruptions and forced adjournments, the House gained nine hours and 16 minutes with Members sitting beyond the scheduled hours.

During the session, the Members discussed four ministries of Railways, Development of North-Eastern Region, Tribal Affairs and Labour and Employment for a total time of 22 hours and 34 minutes. This was the best performance in this regard in the last 12 years, after five ministries were discussed in 2010.

Of the total functional time, 37 per cent was spent on debates on Motion of Thanks to the President for his Address to both the Members of Houses, Union Budget for 2022-23 and the working of four ministries. Twenty-three per cent of the time was spent on the Government's Bills and 10 per cent on raising issues of public importance through Zero Hour and Special Mentions.

During this Budget Session, the House has passed 11 Bills, including the six on Appropriation and Finance Bills that were returned. One Bill, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was introduced in the House on Thursday.

A total of 135 starred questions, accounting for 37.50 per cent of the total 360 listed, were orally answered in the House. Members raised issues of public importance through 248 Zero Hour and 168 Special Mentions, the statement said.

During the second part of the Budget Session, the eight Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees of Rajya Sabha held a total of 16 meetings for a total duration of 19 hours 30 minutes.

The average attendance in these meetings has been 50.10 per cent with the Committees on Home Affairs, Education and Health and Family Welfare reporting average attendance of over 60 per cent. The average duration of these 16 meetings has been one hour 13 minutes. These Committees submitted 36 reports during the second part of the session, including 30 on the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

The productivity of the House of 99.80 per cent during this Budget Session has been the third best since the Monsoon Session of 2017. Productivity of 100 per cent or more was recorded during the Monsoon Session (249th) of 2019 and the Monsoon Session (252nd) of 2020.

The productivity of the House during this session has improved from 94 per cent of the Budget Session last year.