Curtain falls on Budget Session

New Delhi: The Budget Session of Parliament concluded on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessing spirited debates and fewer disruptions.

The Budget Session had begun on January 31 with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of both the Houses. It was followed by the presentation of the Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.

The first part of the Budget Session concluded on February 11 when Parliament went into recess to examine the budget papers.

The session resumed on March 14 and concluded on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule after completion of the budgetary process and passage of key bills such as the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill and the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill.

"The total productivity of the eighth session of the 17th Lok Sabha was 129 per cent," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, noting that the House had 27 sittings.

The Rajya Sabha lost nearly nine-and-a-half hours due to disruptions and forced adjournments but made up for the lost time by sitting extra for nine hours and 16 minutes, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said. "The productivity of the House during the Budget Session was 99.8 per cent. If only the House had functioned for 10 more minutes, the productivity would have been 100 per cent," Naidu said.

The Lok Sabha passed 12 bills, including the Finance Bill, Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill.

The Rajya Sabha passed 11 bills including six appropriation bills and Finance Bills that were returned.

The Lok Sabha also had short duration discussions on climate change, the situation in Ukraine and the need to promote sports in India.