Parliament Monsoon Session ends with record ‘low productivity’ | Infographic

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View of Parliament building.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on Thursday (August 21, 2025) with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die.

The session, which ran for the scheduled 21 days from July 21 to August 21, saw frequent disruptions that consumed nearly two-thirds of the allotted time. As a result, the Lok Sabha functioned for only 29% of its scheduled hours, while the Rajya Sabha managed 34%, marking the lowest productivity in the 18th Lok Sabha so far.

The Question Hour was hit the hardest, with the Lok Sabha completing only 23% and the Rajya Sabha just 6% of the scheduled time.

Several Bills were also passed without discussion amidst the disruption. The Friday sittings reserved for private members’ Bills and Resolutions were also skipped during this session.

Less than 10% of starred questions answered orally in both Houses

No questions were answered orally on 12 days in the Rajya Sabha and seven days in the Lok Sabha. Ministers responded to only 8% of starred questions in the Lok Sabha and 5% in the Rajya Sabha.

Oral answers allow MPs to raise supplementary questions, but this opportunity was largely missed during the session.

Limited discussion on Bills before passing

Thirteen Bills were introduced during the session (excluding appropriation Bills). Three were referred to Joint Committees, and two were referred to Select Committees of the Lok Sabha. The other eight were passed within the session.

Usually, Bills are examined by Departmentally Related Standing Committees. During the 17th Lok Sabha, of the 30 Bills referred to Committees, 24 Bills were referred to Standing Committees, five to Joint Committees and one to a Select Committee.

The Select Committee of the Lok Sabha presented its report on the Income-Tax Bill, 2025. The Bill was later withdrawn. Instead, a new Bill, the Income Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025 was introduced and passed on the same day in the Lok Sabha, without any discussion.

Fourteen Bills were passed by both Houses (excluding finance appropriation Bills). Many of these Bills were passed with limited discussion. Some were passed within a week of introduction.

Discussion on Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor dominated the session, with discussions lasting about 19 hours in the Lok Sabha and 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha. This accounted for nearly half of the Lok Sabha’s total working time and over a third of the Rajya Sabha’s.

No private members’ business taken up in either House

Every Friday, two and a half hours are set aside for private members’ business — Bills and resolutions moved by MPs who are not ministers. During this session, no such business was taken up in either House. In fact, the Lok Sabha has not introduced or discussed a private member’s Bill for over a year.