Monsoon Session of Parliament 'Report Card': 46 Hours of Work, 20 Bills Passed

As the turbulent Monsoon Session of the Parliament comes to a close, here's an overview of the proceedings.

Monsoon Session of Parliament came to a close on 11 August. 

(Image: The Quint/ Kamran Akhter)

The tumultuous Monsoon Session of Parliament came to a premature close on Wednesday, 11 August, as both Houses were adjourned sine die, two days ahead of schedule.

The parliamentary proceedings, which had commenced on 19 July, saw the third least productive Lok Sabha session of the last two decades, PRS Legislative Research data indicated.

Amid frequent disruptions and torrid squabbles, how productive was the Parliament in the Monsoon Session? What Bills were introduced? How many Bills were passed?

Here's all you need to know.

How Many Hours Did the Houses Work?

The Monsoon Session of Parliament for 2021 was characterised by its several adjournments.

Amid the persistent insistence of the Opposition to discuss the Pegasus snooping matter and the farm laws, and the Centre's unyielding defiance to engage in the debate, the Parliament saw strikingly low productivity this season.

The Lok Sabha was scheduled to be in attendance for six hours per day for 19 days. The Lower House, however, was in session for merely 21 hours of the allotted time, which is roughly 21 percent of the scheduled time, PRS indicated.

This is the lowest number of hours put in by the Lok Sabha since the 2016 Winter Session.

The Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, was supposed to convene for 112 hours over 19 days. Appearing for merely 25 percent of the scheduled hours, the Rajya Sabha worked a total of 25 hours this session, PRS reported.

"I am pained that the house didn't run smoothly. House functioned only for 21 hours and 14 minutes. Out of the quorum of 96 working hours, work couldn't be done for 74 hours and 46 minutes. Total productivity was 22 percent," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told reporters on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported.

How Many Bills Were Introduced?

15 Bills were introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament:

1. The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021

2. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021

3. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021

4. The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021

5. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021

6. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

7. The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021

8. The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021

9. The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021

10. The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021

11. The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021

12. The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021

13. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill,2021

14. The Inland Vessels Bill, 2021

15. The Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021

How Many Bills Were Passed?

The Monsoon Session saw 20 Bills passed. All 15 Bills introduced this session were passed.

None of the Bills introduced in this session were sent to a Parliamentary Committee for review.

The Lok Sabha cleared 18 Bills in the Monsoon Session. 15 Bills were passed without any member participating in the deliberation, as per PRS. The average time of discussion per Bill was recorded at 34 minutes by PRS.

The average period for discussion on a Bill in the Rajya Sabha was recorded at 46 minutes.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021, was discussed for the longest period – over an hour in each House – out of all the Bills, a PRS report indicated.

12 of the Bills were hastily passed by voice vote in the first 10 days of the Parliament session, with an average of seven minutes of discussion, leaving the Opposition complaining about the Centre's 'bulldozing' of Bills.

How Many Starred Questions Were Answered?

320 starred questions were raised in the Monsoon Session. Of these, 66 were orally answered – amounting to 20 percent of the total, a Times of India report indicated.

The Question Hour was in progress for 25 percent of its allotted time in the Rajya Sabha and for 35 percent of the scheduled time in the Lok Sabha, as per PRS.

(With inputs from PRS, Times of India, and ANI)