Budget Session of Parliament adjourns sine die

New Delhi: Marred by a logjam over the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Adani issue, the Budget Session, 2023 of Parliament,  which commenced on January 31, 2023, and was adjourned sine die today, had only 25 sittings and just six bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament. In comparison, last year during the Budget Session, 2022, 11 Bills were passed in 27 sittings of Parliament. The approximate productivity of the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session – 2023, was  34 % and that of the Rajya Sabha was 24%. In comparison, the productivity of the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session, 2022 was approximately 129% and that of the Rajya Sabha was 98%.

The productivity of the first part of the Budget Session was 56.3 per cent, while for the second part, it plummeted to 6.4 per cent. Cumulatively, the House productivity was only 24.4 per cent and disruptions claimed 103 hours and 30 minutes of its time.

Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar in his valedictory address of the 259th session of the Upper House of Parliament described the disruptions as “worrisome and alarming”, and regretted that paramountcy of debate, dialogue, deliberation and discussion in Parliament yielded to disruption and disturbance.

“Weaponising of politics by stalling the functioning of Parliament is pregnant with serious consequences for our polity. This is to the utter dislike of the people at large.  In the public mind, we as a class are subject of disdain and ridicule,” he said. 

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal today said the first part of the Budget Session, 2023, yielded a total of 10 sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.  In the second part of the Session, there were 15 sittings of both Houses.

It may be mentioned that Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned for recess from February 13 to March 12, 2023, and reassembled on March 13, 2023, to enable Departmentally related Standing Committees to examine and report on the Demands for Grants relating to various Ministries/Departments.

The Union Budget for 2023- 24 was presented on February 1, 2023, and general discussion on the Union Budget was held in both Houses in the first part of the Session that engaged the Rajya Sabha just for 2 hours and 21 minutes against the allotted time of 12 Hours where only 12 members participated in the discussion on the subject. The 2022 Budget Session engaged the Rajya Sabha for 12 hours and 56 minutes against the allotted 12 hours.

This time the engagement of Lok Sabha in the general discussion of the Union Budget was for 14 hours and 45 minutes against the allotted time of 12 hours and only 145 Members of Lok Sabha participated in the discussion on the subject.

Demands for Grants of individual Ministries such as Railways, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Tribal Affairs, Tourism, Culture and Health & Family Welfare could not be taken up due to continuous disruptions in Lok Sabha. In the end, the Demands for Grants of the Ministries/ Departments were put to the Vote of the House on Thursday, March 23, 2023. The related Appropriation Bill was also introduced, considered and passed by Lok Sabha on March 23, 2023. Appropriation Bills relating to the Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23; Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 and Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 in respect of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after their adoption were also introduced, considered and passed on March 21, 2023, in the Lok Sabha.  The Finance Bill, 2023, was passed by Lok Sabha on March 24, 2023.

In the Rajya Sabha, the working of the Ministries of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Textiles, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rural Development, Cooperation, Railways and New and Renewable Energy could not be discussed due to continuous disruptions in the House.  The Rajya Sabha returned the Appropriation Bills related to Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 and Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 in respect of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir; Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2022-23 and Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24 in respect of the Union on 27.03.2023.

The Finance Bill, 2023, was also returned by Rajya Sabha with a recommendation for an amendment given by the Government on March 27, 2023, which was agreed to by the Lok Sabha on March 27, 2023, itself.  As such the entire Financial Business was completed in the Houses of Parliament before March 31, 2023.

“The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023”, to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which envisages removing ambiguity in the applicability of the provisions of said Act, promoting plantation in non-forest areas and conserving the forests was referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament after motions to this effect were adopted in both Houses after its introduction in Lok Sabha.

The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which provides for augmentation of Competition regulation in India, was also passed by both Houses of Parliament during this Session.

During this Session, a total of 8 Bills (8 in Lok Sabha) were introduced. 6 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 6 Bills were passed/returned by Rajya Sabha. The total number of Bills passed/returned by both Houses of Parliament was also 6.

List of Bills introduced in Lok Sabha, Bills passed by Lok Sabha, Bills passed/returned by Rajya Sabha, Bills passed/returned by both Houses

Legislative business transacted during the 11th Session of the 17th Lok Sabha and 259th Session of Rajya Sabha (Budget Session, 2023)