Monsoon Session: Rajya Sabha Lost 40 Working Hours, Productivity Was 21.60% In First 2 Weeks

During its nine sittings in the first two weeks, the Upper House could have only 1 hour 38 minutes of Question Hour and only 1 hour 24 minutes for legislative business, officials said

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 1 August 2021 8:36 am

Amid massive disruption of house proceedings, Rajya Sabha’s productivity fell from 32.20 per cent during the first week of the ongoing monsoon session to 13.70 per cent in the second week, officials said adding that the overall productivity of the Upper House was 21.60 per cent as of Saturday.

Further, according to officials, the House lost 39 hours and 52 minutes of its 50 working hours to disruptions. During its nine sittings in the first two weeks, the Upper House could have only 1 hour 38 minutes of Question Hour and only 1 hour 24 minutes for legislative business, during which it passed four bills.

Further, the Rajya Sabha spent only one minute of Zero Hour and another four minutes on Special Mentions. However, officials said that the House sat for 1 hour 12 minutes beyond the scheduled time.

Covid-related issues were discussed for 4 hours 37 minutes during the first week and the minister for IT laid a statement on the Pegasus spyware issue during the first week, the officials said.

For the first time, the RS Secretariat has started reporting in the daily bulletins, the business of the House that could not be taken up.

During the first two weeks of the current session, 130 Zero Hour Submissions and 87 Special Mentions through which the members raise issues of public importance could not be taken though they were admitted by the Chairman.

Among the bills passed are The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021; The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill, 2021; The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were among the four bills introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, during the all-party meeting ahead of the session and the Business Advisory Committee meeting during the first week, has urged the government and the leaders of various parties to discuss the legislative and other business to be taken up in the House and also has been talking to them separately to enable smooth functioning of the House.

(With PTI inputs)