The Winter Session of the Parliament, which began on November 29, came to an end today, a day earlier than scheduled, the with passage of 11 bills in both the houses. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla brought an end to the winter session.
The adjournment also came after BSP MP Danish Ali tested positive for COVID-19. Ali had attended Lok Sabha proceedings earlier this week.or COVID-19. Ali had attended Lok Sabha proceedings earlier this week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President Sonia Gandhi were among those present in the House on the last day of the Winter Session.
The session continued in the shadow of uncertainty with the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs in the previous session. The government stated that the session is a success one with 82 per cent productivity in Lok Sabha and 48 per cent in Rajya Sabha, despite the “disruptive strategy” of the Opposition.
However, the Opposition lamented the government of “rushing the bills without debates and even prior notice”. The session had 18 sittings in 24 days, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
“Our first priority was to discuss the issue of price rise. Unfortunately, when the Chairman and the Speaker gave them a chance, no one was ready. The Finance Minister was present with her replies,” Joshi said.
Joshi said the government was willing to hold discussions on every issue. “The Prime Minister had suggested that the government should look into the issues raised by the members during zero hour and there should be action on them. But the disruptions did not let it so. It’s not good for democracy,” he said.
Asked about the Opposition’s allegation that the bills were passed without debates, Joshi said: “It’s a baseless allegation. The Opposition should have let the house run.”
“Parliament sessions ends, every single day washed out by government who will now spend the afternoon doing press conferences justifying cold-blooded murder of democracy. When the opposition did get the odd chance to speak, we gave the government a masterclass from the rule book,” TMC MP Derek O Brien who was suspended from the Rajya Sabha, yesterday, tweeted after the house was adjourned sine die.
Debates on COVID-19 and climate change were held during the session lasting 12 hours 26 minutes and six hours and 26 minutes respectively. While 99 members participated in the debate on the pandemic, the discussion on climate change, which remained inconclusive, saw the participation of 61 members.
During the session, 13 bills (12 in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha) were introduced. 11 bills were passed by both the houses of Parliament, which includes one Appropriation Bill relating the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year. The bills include the Farm Repeal Bill, 2021, the Dam Safety Bill, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill.
While The Biological Diversity (Amendment) bill was referred to the joint committee of both the houses for further scrutiny, The National Anti Doping Bill, The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, the Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) bill, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) bill and the Mediation Bill were sent to the standing committees for detailed discussions.
