Lok Sabha records 114% productivity as Budget session of Parliament ends

The Budget session of Parliament came to an end two weeks before schedule on Thursday. Despite this, the Lok Sabha recorded 114 per cent productivity during the session.

The Government decided to cut short the session, which was supposed to conclude on April 8, due to the upcoming assembly elections in five states.

Lok Sabha highlights

Commencing with an address by the President on January 29, the fifth session of the seventeenth Lok Sabha consisted of 24 sittings that lasted a total of 132 hours.

A total of 17 bills were introduced and 18 bills were passed in the Lok Sabha during the session. This includes the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill and the Insurance (Amendment) Bill among others. Almost 600 matters of urgent public importance were also raised by the Members of Parliament.

The Congress critique

In a media briefing, the opposition Congress party criticised the central government for cutting short the budget session.

Member of Parliament (MP) Jairam Ramesh, the party’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, said the budget session was prorogued two weeks ahead of schedule because the prime minister, home minister and other union ministers were busy campaigning in for the upcoming assembly elections in five states.

“In the Business Advisory Committee, we were told by the Government that the regional parties want the session to be prorogued early. But this was all the Government’s tactic. In fact, this demand came from North Block and South Block [of the Central Secretariat],” he alleged.

He continued, “The government may claim high productivity but this would not have been possible without Congress party’s support.”

Jairam Ramesh also asserted, “This was the first Parliament session in 17 years that I have attended which did not have ‘calling attention’ motions. The demand for ‘short duration discussions’ by opposition MPs was not agreed to by the Government.”

Both these parliamentary devices serve the purpose of allowing MPs to call the attention of the ruling government to matters of public importance.

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