Monsoon Session sees multiple lows in Parliament productivity, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded with significantly low productivity, recording 19% in Lok Sabha and 39% in Rajya Sabha.
• Twelve Bills were passed during the session, but only one, the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, underwent detailed debate.
• The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA), 2026, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) following strong opposition.
• Only two questions were answered orally in Lok Sabha and sixteen in Rajya Sabha throughout the entire session.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla skipped his concluding address, while Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan expressed "deep concern" over disruptions.

Monsoon Session.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• The Lok Sabha's 19% productivity marks one of its lowest rates in 22 years, with only two sessions since 2004 recording lower figures.
• Nine Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha without any Member of Parliament (other than the Minister) speaking on them.
• The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aims to strengthen anti-cheating measures and curb paper leaks in public examinations.
• This Bill amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, introducing stricter penalties and a Special Task Force for investigations.
• The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to regulate foreign contributions, particularly concerning the management of assets when an organization's FCRA registration is cancelled.
• It proposes a "designated authority" to manage or dispose of assets created from foreign funds in cases of FCRA registration cessation.
• The JPC formed for the FCRA Bill comprises 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha) and is tasked with submitting its report by the first week of the upcoming Winter Session.
• Both the government and opposition blamed each other for the low productivity, with the opposition citing issues like police action on NEET paper leak students.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Monsoon Session: One of the three annual parliamentary sessions in India, typically held from July to September.
• Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026: Legislation designed to prevent malpractices and ensure fairness in public examinations.
• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA), 2026: Proposed law to amend the FCRA, 2010, primarily addressing the management of assets of NGOs whose FCRA registration is revoked.
• Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC): An ad-hoc committee comprising members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, formed to investigate specific issues or bills.
• PRS Legislative Research: An independent, non-profit organization that provides research support and data analysis on legislative and policy matters to Indian parliamentarians.
• Adjourned sine die: A parliamentary term meaning to adjourn a legislative body indefinitely, without specifying a date for its next meeting.