45 bills rushed thru in LS on same day of introduction: ADR

New Delhi: A total of 222 bills were passed in the 17th Lok Sabha and 45 of them were cleared on the same day they were introduced in the House, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Some of these bills are The Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, The Jammu & Kashmir Appropriation (No 2) Bill, The Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021. A report of the analysis, which was conducted by ADR and National Election Watch (NEW), was released late on Tuesday. It sheds light on the performance of the 17th Lok Sabha and its members. As per the report, a total of 240 bills were introduced during the tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha, of which 222 were successfully passed. Furthermore, 11 bills were withdrawn, and six remain pending. The President granted assent to only one bill. The data indicates that 45 bills were passed on the same day they were introduced in the House. On average, each Member of Parliament posed 165 questions and participated in 189 of the 273 sittings.

MPs from Chhattisgarh recorded the highest average attendance, with 11 representatives from the state attending 216 out of the 273 sittings.

In contrast, Arunachal Pradesh experienced the lowest average attendance, with only two of its MPs participating in 127 sittings.

The analysis also examines the level of engagement among states and political parties. MPs from Maharashtra emerged as the most vocal, with an average of 49 representatives posing 315 questions each. Conversely, Manipur MPs asked an average of 25 questions each.

The NCP stood out among parties, with five of its MPs raising an average of 410 questions each. Conversely, only five questions each on average were raised by two MPs from Apna Dal.

On average, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members attended 229 out of the 273 sittings, while AAP members had the lowest attendance, with only 57 sittings on average.

The report identifies 10 MPs who actively participated in parliamentary proceedings by posing the highest number of questions. Topping the list is BJP’s Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar, who asked 596 questions.

The report highlights that the majority of the questions centered around health and family welfare, agriculture and farmers welfare, and railways.