Eighty-nine hours of working time of both the Houses have been wasted, resulting in draining out of Rs 133 crore of exchequer money.
New Delhi: As the weekend has ended, it is time for resuming the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament yet again from Monday, August 2.
Before the start of the session, the government had proposed to pass at least 23 draft laws and some of the crucial ones related to economic reforms.
But the last fortnight was disastrous after a planned 'sabotage and pandemonium' was orchestrated out as the so-called Pegasus spying row was kicked off hours before the session was to begin on July 19.
Eighty-nine hours of working time of both the Houses have been wasted, resulting in draining out of Rs 133 crore of exchequer money.
Sources now say Lok Sabha could transact the business of seven hours only out of possible 54 hours, and Rajya Sabha has been allowed to function only for 11 hours out of nearly 53 hours.
It is estimated that there is a loss of about Rs 2.5 lakh per minute loss of parliament transaction.
In Lok Sabha, it was only 14 percentage productivity, and for the House of Elders, the productivity was hardly 22 per cent.
The two Houses have approved only four Bills due to continuous uproarious scenes.
Among others and amid the din, The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, and so also the much-awaited The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.
This is being seen as a pro-reform draft law.
As per the statement of Objects and Reasons of the General Insurance Bill, it seeks to remove the requirement that the central government holds not less than 51 per cent of the equity capital in a specified insurer.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this is not a move to bring in privatisation.
"We are bringing some enabling provision so that the Government can bring in public, Indian citizens, and common people's participation in the general insurance companies," she said.
In the din, of course, the House of the People gave its nod to 'The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and 'The Inland Vessels Bill.'
Among others, both houses have approved the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill.
"You can imagine the number of MSMEs that will directly benefit because of this," the Finance Minister said in Rajya Sabha.
The government floor managers have tried to reach out to opposition leaders to ensure the smooth conduct of Parliament. But apparently, not much progress has been made.
While the opposition leaders are maintaining it is the government's responsibility to run Parliament, they insisted that a debate on Pegasus row must be allowed.
But there is no explanation why IT Minister was not allowed to make a statement.
One Trinamool MP, Shantanu Sen, was suspended in Rajya Sabha, yet there was no let-up in the situation.
On the first day, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not introduce his new council of ministers.
“I thought that there would be enthusiasm in Parliament as so many women, Dalits, tribals have become Ministers," he had lamented as opposition members raised slogans disrupting the Prime Minister.
Both the presiding officers' Om Birla, Lok Sabha Speaker and M Venkaiah Naidu, chairperson of Rajya Sabha, almost on a daily basis expressed concern disapproving members' conduct, but nothing could have any positive impact.
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