The just concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament is considered one of the most productive on the legislative front in recent times going by the number of Bills passed.
The landmark Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2014 to enable GST regime led the list of 14 Bills cleared during this almost-month-long session that started on July 18 and ended on August 12, according to PRS Legislative Research, an independent outfit that tracks the functioning of Parliament.
The Lok Sabha worked for 101 percent of the scheduled hours and Rajya Sabha for 96 per cent. As many as 14 legislative Bills were introduced during the Session and one was withdrawn.
Both Houses sat for extra hours on most days. Out of 20 days, the Lok Sabha sat beyond its scheduled time on 11 days, while the Rajya Sabha sat beyond its scheduled time on 14 days. They also witnessed one of the most productive Question Hours since 2004, according to the research institute. During the session, 400 starred questions were listed, of which, 99 were answered orally. Thus, on an average, about 4.95 questions were answered per day. Written replies to the remaining starred questions along with 4,600 un-starred questions were laid on the table.
Some of the crucial economic Bills passed by Parliament during the session were: Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill 2016; the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Bill 2016; the Lokpal and Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2016; and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill 2016.
Various Standing Committees presented 32 reports to the Lower House.