During the session, the government completed its budgetary exercise after the Lok Sabha gave its nod to the demands for grants for the various ministries as well as the Finance Bill.
(Photo: IANS)
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday, the last day of the Budget Session. The Lok Sabha recorded the productivity at 118 per cent while the Rajya Sabha was functional at 119 per cent.
During the session, the government completed its budgetary exercise after the Lok Sabha gave its nod to the demands for grants for the various ministries as well as the Finance Bill. The budget for Manipur, under Central rule, was also cleared.
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The Waqf Amendment Bill that witnessed a showdown between the government and the Opposition was passed by Parliament as the two Houses sat for long hours to clear the law.
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As soon as the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha met for the day, they were adjourned till noon as BJP members demanded Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s apology for her remarks on the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill. When the Lok Sabha reassembled at noon, Speaker Om Birla said the House underwent 26 sittings from the commencement of the Session on January 31.
He said, ”We are at the end of the fourth session of the 18th Lok Sabha. This session started on January 31, 2025. In this session, we had 26 sittings, and the total number was about 118 per cent.”
During his closing remarks, he informed the House that during the session, 10 government bills were introduced, and 16 bills, including the Waqf Amendment Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, were passed.
A total of 173 members participated in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, the Speaker said, adding that 169 members participated in the discussion on the Union Budget. On Thursday, 202 members raised matters of public importance in the House during Zero Hour, which is a record for the number of matters raised during Zero Hour in a day for any Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned again at noon following a protest by treasury bench members over the Supreme Court ruling on the West Bengal teachers’ job for cash scam. When the House reassembled at 1 pm, the House was adjourned sine die after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s valedictory speech.
Mr Dhankhar said productivity of this session stood at 119 per cent and a record 49 Private Members’ bills were introduced in the Upper House. ”Overall House functioned for a total of 159 hours, including more than 4 hours after midnight. Productivity of this session stood at 119 per cent. On 3 April, the Rajya Sabha began its proceedings & held its longest-ever sitting from 11 AM to 4:02 AM the next day, marking a historic milestone,” he added.
Mr Dhankhar extended wishes to member Birendra Prasad Baishya on the occasion of his farewell from the Rajya Sabha.
Both the Houses held more than 12-hour discussions on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, passing it past midnight after intense speeches, allegations from the Opposition members, and rebuttals from the treasury benches. The government introduced the revised Bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The Bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.
The Budget Session of the Parliament was convened in two parts; it commenced on January 31 and went on till February 13. The second part of the session began on March 10.
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