Parliament met for the last sitting of Winter Session today. At the time of sending this update, Lok Sabha had adjourned Sine Die. Ten Bills have been passed by Parliament in this Session. In addition, 8 Bills have also been passed by Lok Sabha, but could not be taken up in Rajya Sabha due to frequent disruptions. Bills such as the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008 and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 remain pending in Rajya Sabha.
Winter Session 2014 |
Lok Sabha |
Rajya Sabha |
Productivity |
102% |
61% |
Total Hours of Sitting |
129 Hours |
75 Hours |
Functioning of Question Hour |
84% |
27% |
Questions answered Orally |
98 |
44 |
Bills Passed |
17 |
10 |
Bills Introduced |
15 |
1 |
Important Discussions |
4 |
4 |
*Data as of 22nd December
Productivity
· Lok Sabha worked beyond scheduled hours to transact its business, while Rajya Sabha witnessed frequent adjournments due to disruptions.
· Lok Sabha functioned for 102% of its scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha worked for 61% of its scheduled time.
· Lok Sabha spent 14% of productive time on answering questions, 35% on discussing legislation and 44% discussing non-legislative issues. Rajya Sabha spent 8% on answering questions, 34% on discussing legislation and 35% discussing non-legislative issues.
Legislation
Winter Session 2014 |
Plan |
Performance |
Bills for Passage |
18 |
10 |
Bills for Introduction |
17 |
16 |
Bills for Withdrawal |
5 |
6 |
*Data as of 22nd December
· 10 Bills were passed by Parliament in this Session. Of these 3 were introduced in thisSession.
· 16 Bills were introduced in this Session. 15 in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha.
· 8 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha, but could not be passed by Rajya Sabha due to frequent adjournments.
· Of the 15 Bills introduced in Lok Sabha in this Session, 2 were referred to Standing Committees. While discussing Bills related to coal mines, companies, payment and settlements and motor vehicles, MPs requested that the Bills be referred to a Standing Committee. These Bills were passed without reference to a Standing Committee.
A list of Bills passed and introduced in this Session is given at the end.
Question Hour
· Question Hour was a casualty to disruptions in Rajya Sabha, functioning for 27% of its scheduled time. The Upper House had changed the timing of its Question Hour from 11am to 12pm in this Session. However, this did not lead to better functioning of Question Hour.
· Question Hour functioned for 84% of its scheduled time in Lok Sabha. This Session saw the highest number of Questions answered orally in Lok Sabha across all Sessions of Parliament since 2004.
· 98 Questions were answered by Ministers in Lok Sabha, while 44 were answered in Rajya Sabha as of December 22, 2014.
Important Discussions
· The session also saw discussions related to black money, religious conversions, natural calamities and dilution of MNREGA in Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha discussed issues related to agrarian crisis, black money, sexual assault of a woman by a cab driver and government’s stand on WTO.
Legislative Business Undertaken during Winter Session, 2014
Bills Passed by Parliament in Winter Session, 2014 |
1. The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 2. The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by certain Establishments) Amendment Bill, 2011 3. The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014 4. The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2014 5. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2014 6. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014 7. The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014 8. The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013 9. The Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013 10. The School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014 |
Bills Passed by Lok Sabha but not passed by Rajya Sabha in Winter Session, 2014 |
1. The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 2. The Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014 3. The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 4. The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014 5. The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014 6. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014 7. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 8. The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2014 |
Bills Introduced in Lok Sabha but not passed in Winter Session, 2014 |
1. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014 2. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 3. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 4. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2014 |
Bills Introduced in Rajya Sabha but not passed in Winter Session, 2014 |
1. The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 |
Bills Withdrawn from Rajya Sabha in Winter Session, 2014 |
1. The Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011 2. The Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded Intellectual Property Bill, 2008 3. The Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2000 4. The Delhi Hotels (Control of Accommodation) Repeal Bill, 2014 5. The Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2014 6. The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010 |
*Data as of 22nd December