Both Houses of Parliament adjourned ahead of schedule in wake of coronavirus pandemic

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Monday, nearly two weeks before schedule, as the Budget Session was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said.

The productivity of Lok Sabha was about 90 per cent and that of Rajya Sabha was 74 per cent in this session, he said.

The Budget Session commenced on January 31 and was scheduled to conclude on April 3. Both the Houses adjourned for recess on February 11, and reassembled on the March 2.

In a statement, Joshi said the first part of the Budget Session yielded a total of nine sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and in the second part of the Session, there were 14 sittings of both houses.

The minister said the session has been curtailed with consensus among all parties in view of the Covid-19 across the world including in India.

During this Session, a total of 19 Bills (18 in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha) were introduced, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

As many as 15 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 13 by Rajya Sabha. Total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament were 12, it added.

The all important Finance Bill was passed by both houses on Monday before they were adjourned.

Many political parties, including the TMC, had decided not to attend the session on Monday due to the coronavirus scare and amid lockdowns announced by many states for varying periods.