New Delhi, Aug 11: Rajya Sabha recorded 28 per cent productivity during the monsoon session which concluded on Wednesday with the opposition resorting to protests and forcing adjournments over its various demands throughout the session.
The House was adjourned sine die two days before the scheduled conclusion of the session on August 13.
Rajya Sabha has reported better productivity than Lok Sabha which also saw daily protests from opposition members.
Compared to the monsoon session, the average productivity of the previous five sessions in the upper House was 95 per cent.
The House had 17 sittings during the session and the total sitting time available was 97 hours 30 minutes. The House functioned for 28 hours and 21 minutes and 76 hours and 26 minutes were lost due to disruptions.
The upper House of Parliament passed 19 bills while four bills were introduced. Forty-five of functional time was spent in passing bills.
The House spent 14 per cent of the time on Question Hour and one per cent of time was spent on Zero Hour and Special mentions. Fifty-one questions were orally answered.
Seventeen meetings were held by department-related Standing Committees of Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session and average attendance in these meetings was 54.45 per cent, the highest so far.
The members lost 406 zero hour and special mention opportunities due to disruptions.
Lok Sabha, which was also adjourned sine die on Wednesday, functioned for 21 hours and 14 minutes during the monsoon session. Out of the 96 hours fixed for the sitting of the Lower House, it was not able to function for 74 hours and 46 minutes.
‘No fixed criteria for language to be considered for inclusion in 8th Schedule’
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that there are no fixed criteria for any language to be considered for inclusion under Eighth Schedule and no time frame can be provided for the consideration of the demands for inclusion of more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
The minister said in a written reply that the Awadhi language is grouped as a mother tongue under Hindi and is spoken by 38,50,906 people, according to information received from the Registrar General of India as per census 2011.
He was responding to a question about giving the status of scheduled language to Awadhi.
The minister said at present 22 languages are specified under the Eighth Schedule and there have been demands from time to time for the inclusion of more languages including Awadhi.
“As the evolution of dialects and languages is a dynamic process, influenced by socio-cultural, economic and political developments, it is difficult to fix any criteria for languages, whether to distinguish them from dialects or for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
The earlier attempts, through the Pahwa Committee (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra Committees (2003) to evolve such fixed have been inconclusive. ”
He said the government is conscious of sentiments and requirements of inclusion of other languages in the Eighth Schedule.
“Since at present there are no criteria defined to place a language under Eighth Schedule, no time-frame can be provided for the consideration of the demands for inclusion of more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution,” he said. (ANI)
