Mr PM, are 36 hours enough to discuss 30 bills this monsoon session?

New Delhi, Aug 16: Looks like the government is far from being serious about the conducting legislative business. And now we know the reason behind the chaos and houses being adjourned.

A study by PRS Legislative Research has found that though 30 bills were slotted for discussion in the Lok Sabha over 78 hours this monsoon, the 16-working-days session left scope for discussing them over just 36 hours.

TOI reported the calculation as, Lok Sabha sits for an average five hours daily - from 11 am to 5 pm, with an hour's lunch break in between. If question hour and zero hour are excluded, the duration of sittings for legislative business boils down to just three hours. Of the 16 working days in the monsoon session, four were Fridays and set aside for private members' bills. So, practically, the session would have allowed discussions and debates over just 12 days or 36 hours.

Of the 43 bills listed this session, Lok Sabha business advisory committee reports had recommended an allocation of 78 hours for 30 bills. Among these are the Food Security Bill, allocated six hours, and the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, to be debated over four hours. Both represent the UPA's social empowerment or "inclusive" agenda.

"If the Lok Sabha were to discuss and debate the 30 bills for roughly the same time as was recommended by the BAC, they would need a minimum of 20 working days to be able to do so," a PRS representative said.

This monsoon session which began on August 5 has been adjourned several times over heating arguments and issues including Telangana, LoC killings, Vadra scam and Kishtwar.

Several days into the session, not a single bill has been passed so far. With just eight days left for passing Bills, after counting out Fridays, before the session ends on August 30, the government may at least focus on getting the food security and land acquisition bills passed.

There are only 16 working days this year, as compared to 19 sittings in 2012 and 26 sittings each in 2011 and 2010. The death of sitting BJP MP Dilip Singh Judeo on Wednesday means the Lok Sabha will not function on Monday either.

OneIndia News