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Parliament functioning in Winter Session 2022

Vital Stats

Parliament functioning in Winter Session 2022

The Winter session of Parliament was held from December 7, 2022 to December 23, 2022.  Parliament adjourned sine die four working days ahead of schedule, having sat for 13 days.  Parliament has had 56 sittings this year.  

Eight out of ten sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha have adjourned early

 

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  • This has been one of the shortest sessions in the 17th Lok Sabha (the other one being Monsoon Session 2020 that was held during the Covid-19 pandemic).  For the last eight consecutive sessions, Parliament has adjourned ahead of schedule.  36 planned sitting days have been lost due to early adjournment in this Lok Sabha.     
  • Over the last 50 years, the number of sittings of Parliament has been declining.  The number of sittings has halved since the 1950s and 1960s.  
  • In this session, Lok Sabha functioned for 88% of scheduled time (of actual sitting days), while Rajya Sabha functioned for 94%.  Both Houses saw some disruptions and repeated adjournments on the penultimate day, when opposition members wanted to raise a discussion on the India-China issue. 

 

Legislative activity reducing; Bills continue to be introduced and passed in the same session

 

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Note: Finance and Appropriation Bills have been excluded.

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  • Seven Bills were passed in this session and seven were introduced.     Four Bills to amend the list of Scheduled Tribes in various states were introduced, of which two were passed.     Two of the Bills introduced, the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Bill, 2022, and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022, have been referred to Joint Parliamentary Committees.  
  • So far, in the 17th Lok Sabha, of the 130 Bills passed, 94 were introduced and passed in the same session.  Fewer Bills are being referred to Committees for detailed scrutiny.  In the current Lok Sabha, 23% of Bills introduced have been referred to Committees.  This is lower than the last three Lok Sabhas: 60% in the 14th, 71% in the 15th, and 27% in the 16th Lok Sabha.
  • Private Members’ Bills (PMBs) are introduced by Members who are not Ministers.  Since 1970, no PMB has been passed by Parliament.  In this session, 90 PMBs were introduced.  This included the Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020, and the Parliament (Productivity Enhancement) Bill, 2022.  The motion to introduce the Uniform Civil Code Bill was opposed and put to a recorded vote.  The motion was accepted, and the Bill was subsequently introduced. 

 

There have been fewer discussions during the 17th Lok Sabha

 

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Note: * Term less than 5 years; ** 6 year term
  • In this session, Lok Sabha spent 4 hours and 53 minutes discussing the need to promote sports in India.  This debate continued from the Budget and Monsoon Sessions of 2022.     The problem of drug abuse in the country was also discussed for 7 hours and 16 minutes. 
  • Rajya Sabha discussed the serious effects of global warming for three hours, in light of the recently concluded COP27.  

 
  • The number of short-duration discussions (under Rule 193) initiated in Parliament has decreased over the last few Lok Sabhas.     Under these, Members can raise a discussion on a matter of public importance.  Other MPs can also participate in the discussion, and in the end, there is a response by the respective Minister.  There were 59 such discussions in the 13th Lok Sabha, which declined to 55, 41, and 33 in the last three Lok Sabhas, and further to  eleven in the three-and-a-half years of the current Lok Sabha. 

 

31% of starred questions answered orally in 17th LS on average

 

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  • Question Hour functioned in Lok Sabha for 60% of scheduled time, and in Rajya Sabha for 83% of scheduled time.  Unlike other matters, time lost due to adjournment in Question Hour cannot made up by sitting for longer hours. 

  • During this session, 31% of starred questions (those that receive oral reply by a Minister) were answered in the House.  Members can ask supplementary questions based on the Minister’s response to starred questions.  When answers are not given orally, Members lose the opportunity to ask supplementary questions.

 

Note: Due to COVID-19, Question Hour was suspended in Monsoon Session 2020.  

 

In the fourth year of its term, Lok Sabha still does not have a Deputy Speaker 

 

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  • Article 93 of the Constitution states that Lok Sabha will choose two Members of the House to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible.

  • In the 17th Lok Sabha, election to the post of Deputy Speaker has not been conducted even after three and a half years since it first convened.  There has just been one instance in the past – 269 days during the 12th Lok Sabha – when it took over three months to elect a Deputy Speaker. 
           

*Corrected on February 15, 2023.

Sources:  Bulletins of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as on December 23, 2022; Statistical Handbook, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, 2021; PRS. 

DISCLAIMER: This document is being furnished to you for your information.  You may choose to reproduce or redistribute this report for non-commercial purposes in part or in full to any other person with due acknowledgement of PRS Legislative Research (“PRS”).  The opinions expressed herein are entirely those of the author(s).  PRS makes every effort to use reliable and comprehensive information, but PRS does not represent that the contents of the report are accurate or complete.  PRS is an independent, not-for-profit group.   This document has been prepared without regard to the objectives or opinions of those who may receive it.