JOIN USParliamentary panels under Rajya Sabha discuss Demands for Grants for longer
Eight Parliamentary Standing Committees under Rajya Sabha witnessed more activity this year during the examination of Demands for Grants for 2021-22 of various ministries with official statistics showing that the panels spent 12% more time compared to last year.
However, the attendance of Lok Sabha MPs in these panels declined during the meetings held in the last three weeks during the recess of the Budget Session even as Rajya Sabha MPs improved their attendance in these deliberations.
Giving details in Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the eight panels held 21 meetings to discuss Demands for Grants of 18 ministries for a total duration of 70:27 hours this year as against 20 meetings for a duration of 63 hours last year.
He said the attendance of Rajya Sabha MPs in these panels substantially improved -- from 52.57% last year to 58.24% this year. Also, he said 50% of Rajya Sabha MPs attended all the meetings of respective committees as against 36% last year.
On Lok Sabha MPs, he said the overall attendance has declined to 31.86% from 46.37% last year and the number of members who attended all the meetings has fallen to 26.21% from 35% last year.
These eight panels have a total of 242 MPs -- 78 from Rajya Sabha and 164 from Lok Sabha.
The average duration of the 21 meetings comes to 2:36 hours. Four out of eight committees met for a duration of 5:25 hours to 6:25 hours in a day.
The Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has reported the highest attendance of 51.19% this year while the Committee on Commerce reported the highest improvement in attendance of 40% as against only 32% last year.
There was the required quorum in all the 21 meetings this year while 3 of the 20 meetings held last year did not have the quorum.
Naidu, however, was concerned over the low attendance of members of non-BJP and non-Congress parties in these meetings. He said that the attendance of such other parties and groups has fallen to 27.60% from 40% last year. Consequently, the overall attendance this year in the 21 meetings has fallen to 42% from 48% last year.