NEW DELHI: After initial few days of frequent adjournments and disruptions, the Lok Sabha concluded the debate on finance bill and the Motion of Thanks to President’s address with record productivity as the first leg of the Budget session concluded on Saturday.
The session, which commenced with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind on January 29, concluded with 99.5% overall productivity.
“I’m grateful to all MPs and the floor leaders who agreed to run the House smoothly and cooperated due to which the House could complete the business after initial disturbances,” Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told reporters after Lok Sabha was adjourned.
Birla said during the first part of the session, Lok Sabha sat for 49 hours and 17 minutes against the stipulated time of 50 hours. The discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s address took place for 16 hours and 39 minutes and 130 members participated in it.
Birla said 49 women members participated in the discussion for which he appreciated the enthusiasm and participation of women MPs in House proceedings.
“Although 10 hours was allocated for general discussion on Union Budget, the House debated for 14 hours and 40 minutes. As many as 117 members took part in the discussion,” the Speaker said.
He said 173 MPs participated in Zero Hour discussions. “The House lost an effective time of 43 minutes due to disruptions,” he added.
Responding to questions regarding disruptions in the House, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that the ultimate objective is to strengthen democracy. “So, it is the responsibility of all members to ensure that democratic and ethical standards are maintained in the House and rules are followed scrupulously,” Birla said and added, “Time lost due to disruptions has been compensated by the House sitting beyond scheduled time which could happen with the support of all the parties.”