The chaotic Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on Friday, after a slew of key Bills were passed including the Data Protection Bill, the Delhi Services Bill, and a Bill to overhaul the criminal justice system, and no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. Even though the Parliament functioned for less than half of scheduled time, data showed that legislative activity remained high.
According to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research, the lower house had 17 sittings, which lasted for about 44 hours 15 minutes. The debate on no-confidence motion lasted for 19 hours and 59 minutes, and 60 members participated in the discussion. The motion was negated through voice vote.
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Bills passed with little scrutiny
Twenty-three bills were passed during the session, which include The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, and The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, among others.
Apart from the Delhi Services Bill that was discussed for around four hours, 54 minutes in Lok Sabha and around eight hours in Rajya Sabha, every other Bill was passed after less than an hour of discussion. Nine Bills, including the IIM (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Inter-Services Organisation Bill 2023, were passed within 20 minutes in Lok Sabha.
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On an average, a bill introduced in this session was passed within eight days. Most bills were passed with little scrutiny.
Out of the bills introduced, three have been referred to committees. In this Lok Sabha, 17 percent bills have been referred to committees. This is lower as compared to the last three Lok Sabhas. Of the 23 bills passed in this session, seven have been examined by standing committees, PRS said.
In Rajya Sabha, 10 Bills were passed within three consecutive days. On eight days, some opposition members walked out of Rajya Sabha and Bills were passed in their absence. More than 250 notices for an adjournment motion were issued in the Rajya Sabha to discuss the law-and-order situation in Manipur, however, none were accepted.
