Rajya Sabha clocks full productivity in first week, PM Modi to reply to debate in House on February 8

Rajya Sabha recorded a hundred per cent productivity in the first week of the budget session during which the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address was taken up and the prime minister is likely to reply in the House on Tuesday.

The smooth functioning of the House was acknowledged and appreciated by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who urged the members to continue with this spirit for the remainder of this session.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the debate on the motion of thanks in Lok Sabha on Monday evening, sources said.

Rajya Sabha made full use of the available 15 hours and 17 minutes during the first week of the budget session, clocking 100 per cent productivity for the week, not witnessed often, officials said.

There were no adjournments due to disruptions during the week, unlike in the previous winter and monsoon sessions last year which witnessed frequent disruptions and adjournments.

So far, 26 members have spoken in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address for 7 hours and 41 minutes. The house has allotted a total of 12 for the debate, the Secretariat said.

After the prime minister's reply, the Union Budget for 2022-23 will be discussed for 11 hours and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reply on Friday.

To enable this, Private Members' Business on Friday has been dispensed with.

During the first week in Rajya Sabha, 25 of the listed starred questions have been replied to orally in three days of Question Hour and 31 Zero Hour and 14 Special Mentions were made by members during Zero Hour, reduced by half an hour per sitting, the officials claimed.

Fifteen Private Members' Bills were introduced during the week. While two pending private members' bills were discussed, the Companies (Amendment Bill), 2019 was withdrawn after completion of discussion by Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. Discussion on the Population Regulation Bill, 2019, moved by Rakesh Sinha, is continuing.

Rajya Sabha witnessed functioning for three consecutive days during the week without forced adjournments after a year, the last time being March 15-17, 2021, during the Budget session last year, officials in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat have said.

The productivity of Rajya Sabha has been 100 per cent or more for four consecutive Budget sessions of 2014 to 2017 and of the regular Budget sessions in 2019, officials said.

It was 28.90 per cent in 2018 and 6.80 per cent during 2019 (Interim Budget session) and productivity was 76.10 per cent in 2020 and 93.50 per cent during the Budget session last year, the RS Secretariat said.

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