Lok Sabha was on Thursday adjourned sine die, bringing the nearly two-month long Budget session to an end.

The session started on January 29 and was originally slated to end on April 8 but several members had urged Speaker Om Birla to end the session early as they focus on electioneering in five states going to polls. Speaker Birla had recently tested positive for Covid and was not attending the House.

The Lok Sabha session had started on 29 January amid an unprecedented pandemic that has since claimed thousands of lives and showed signs of resurgence with many states including the national capital of Delhi reporting a spike in cases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and members from the ruling and Opposition party benches were present in the House.

Earlier, Opposition leaders had urged for early conclusion of the Budget session in view of the ensuing assembly polls in five states including in Assam and West Bengal. Wishing Om Birla a speedy recovery, earlier, Mehtab informed the House that the Speaker’s condition was stable.

Recounting the role of Speaker in the smooth conduct of the House, a Lok Sabha Secretariat note later pointed out that a record work had been completed during the session.

“Like previous Sessions of the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, record work was accomplished during the Budget Session. A total of 24 sittings were held which lasted for 132 hours. The productivity of the House during this Session stood at 114 per cent. Earlier, 125 per cent productivity was achieved in the First Session, 115 per cent in the Second Session, 117 per cent in the Third Session and a record 167 per cent in the Fourth Session,” the note stated.

During the Session, the House sat late for 48 hours and 23 minutes to discuss and dispose of various matters.

“The relentless efforts of Speaker Om Birla, ensured consensus among political parties for smooth conduct of the House. Consequently, like other Sessions of Seventeenth Lok Sabha, the productivity during the budget session remained high. Birla’s far sight resolved several complex issues. The members also discussed many important matters sitting late several times,” the note further added.

In the first part of the Session, the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was discussed for 16 hours 58 minutes and 149 members participated in the discussion.After the reply by the Prime Minister, the House unanimously passed the Motion.

The Budget which was presented on 1 February 2021 was discussed for 14 hours and 42 minutes. A total of 146 members participated in the discussion. Demands for Grants from the Ministries of Railways, Education and Health and Family Welfare for the year 2021-22 were discussed in the House. The discussion lasted for a total of 21 hours and 43 minutes.

Detailed discussions on government bills were held during the Session. During the Session, 17 government Bills were introduced and a total of 18 Bills were passed. Some of the important Bills which were passed are the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021, etc. Parliamentary Committees made important recommendations on financial and other matters and a total of 171 reports were presented by the Parliamentary Committees.

During the Question Hour and 84 starred questions were answered orally . A total of 583 matters of urgent public importance and a total of 405 matters under Rule 377 were taken up.

A total of 48 statements were given by Ministers under Directive 73A and 4 Suo Moto statements were made. Three statements regarding government work were also made by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. During the session, 3591 papers were laid on the Table of the House by the Ministers concerned.

Necessary arrangements were made in the Parliament House and especially in the Lok Sabha Chamber. Covid testing was arranged for Members, officers and employees of the secretariat and personnel of allied agencies. A vaccination Centre was also set up in Parliament House Complex , as per the government guidelines. Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die ahead of the scheduled date of8 April.While giving a brief account of the performance of the House, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said the upper house functioned for a total of 104 hours as against the total scheduled time of 116 hours.