Monsoon Session adjourned 4 days ahead of schedule

The Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on Monday, with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die four days ahead of schedule.

The session, which began on July 18 and was scheduled to go on till August 12 , saw protests by the Opposition over various issues, including price-rise, Agnipath scheme and purported misuse of central probe agencies by the Centre.

During the session, the two Houses held only 16 sittings each. In terms of number of sittings, this was the second-shortest session of 17th Lok Sabha. So far, nine sessions of 17th Lok Sabha have been held and the fourth session was the shortest, with 10 sittings.

Criticising the government for its decision to cut short the session, Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien tweeted, “This is the seventh consecutive time Parliament session has been cut short. Stop mocking Parliament. We will fight for its sanctity and prevent PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah from turning this great institution into the Gujarat Gymkhana.”

In his valedictory remarks, outgoing Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said, “In all, the House had 16 sittings, during which it conducted its business for more than 35 hours. More than 47 hours were lost due to interruptions, which is a sad reflection on the functioning of the Upper House…”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said six government Bills were introduced and seven Bills passed during the session.

The six Bill introduced in the Lower House are The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022; New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

The seven Bill passed in Lok Sabha are The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022; Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022; National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021; Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021; Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

In fact, the energy conservation Bill and arbitration centre Bill were passed on the last day of the session.

Replying to the debate on the energy Bill, Power Minister R K Singh said India’s rate of renewable energy capacity has been the “fastest” in the world. The House later passed the Bill via voice vote.

The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to establish Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Vadodara, Gujarat, was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha on the last day of the session, becoming one of five Bills to be passed by the House in the session.

Introducing the Bill, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the university would be conducted by his department and coordinated under the Nation Education Policy of the Education Ministry.

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