Both Houses of Parliament Adjourned after Budget Session 2020

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New Delhi : The Budget Session, 2020 of Parliament,which commenced on January 31, 2020, was adjourned sine die on March 23, 2020. In between both the Houses also adjourned for recess on February 11, 2020, to reassemble on March 22, 2020 to enable Departmentally related Standing Committees to examine and report on the Demands for Grants relating to various Ministries/Departments.

In a statement on Budget Session, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi informed here on March 23 that the first part of the Budget Session had a total of 9 sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He added that in the second part of the Session, there were 14 sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. “During the entire Budget Session, 2020, there were in total 23 sittings in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” Joshi said, according to a PIB release.

Speaking about the second part of the Session, the Minister stated that the Session has been curtailed after reaching consensus across party lines keeping in view the situation arising out of the spread of COVID -19 across the world including in India.

The Union Budget for 2020- 21 was presented on February 1, 2020. General Discussion on the Union Budget was held in both Houses in the first part of this Session. This engaged the Lok Sabha for 11 Hours 51 minutes against allotted 12 Hours and Rajya Sabha for 11 Hours 36 minutes against allotted 12 Hours.

In Lok Sabha, Demands for Grants relating to Ministry of Railways, Social Justice and Empowerment and Tourism were discussed and adopted individually. Thereafter rest of the Demands for Grants of the Ministries/Departments were put to the vote of the House on  March 16, 2020. The related Appropriation Bill was also introduced, considered and passed on March 16, 2020. Appropriation Bills relating to Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2019-20, Supplementary Demand for Grant in respect of the State of Jammu and Kashmir for 2019-20, Demands for Grants in respect of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2020-21 and Demands for Grants in respect of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the year 2019-20 after their adoption were also introduced, considered and passed.

The Finance Bill, 2020 was passed by Lok Sabha on March 23, 2020. Rajya Sabha also returned all the Appropriation Bills, and the Finance Bill, 2020 on March 23, 2020. As such the entire Financial Business was completed before March 31, 2020.

During this Session a total of 19 Bills (18 in Lok Sabha and 01 in Rajya Sabha) were introduced. Fifteen Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 13 Bills were passed by Rajya Sabha. Total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament is 12.

Joshi informed, “The productivity of Lok Sabha was approx. 94% and that of Rajya Sabha was approx. 96% during the first part. During the second part of the Budget Session, 2020, the productivity of Lok Sabha was approx. 88% and that of Rajya Sabha was 62%. The productivity for the complete Budget Session, 2020 of Lok Sabha was approx. 90% and that of Rajya Sabha was 74%.”