Most productive Lok Sabha session since 1952 ends

The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha has made its way into record books as the most productive one, with the passage of 35 bills over 37 sittings.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla described the first session of the lower house as the most productive since 1952, when the session had witnessed 67 sittings and gave nod to 24 legislations.

The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, which began on June 17, was to conclude on July 26, but it was extended till August 7.

According to an analysis by PRS Legislative, the Lok Sabha worked for 281 hours which was 135% of the scheduled duration, which was higher than any other session of Parliament in the past 20 years.

Credit: PRS Legislative

On average, the Lok Sabha has worked for 81% of its scheduled time in the past 20 years.

Out of the 265 first-time members, 229 got chance to speak during the Zero Hour, while 42 out of 46 women MPs also participated in the House proceedings, Birla said, reading out the valedictory address before adjourning the Lok Sabha sine die.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had requested the Speaker to adjourn the House sine die after the passage of J&K-related bills, saying 99% of the government business has been completed.

Credit: PRS Legislative

Birla said as many as 183 starred questions were answered during the Question Hour — with an average of 7.6 questions taken up every day. The Speaker noted that between 1996 and 2019, on an average, 3.35 questions were taken up during the Question Hour.

However, even after 50 days, the Lok Sabha is yet to elect a deputy speaker.

During the 12th Lok Sabha, the post of the deputy speaker was vacant for 269 days from the commencement of the first session