- The 2026 Monsoon Session ended with the lowest productivity in a decade
- Lok Sabha functioned for 17.5 hours, only 15% of its scheduled time
- Rajya Sabha worked for 37.4 hours, 33% of its scheduled time
The Monsoon Session 2026 of Parliament, which began on July 20 and concluded on August 10, ended with the lowest productivity levels seen in a decade. Repeated disruptions and adjournments dominated proceedings, severely affecting the functioning of both Houses.
According to data by PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha functioned for just 17.5 hours during the session, while the Rajya Sabha functioned for 37.4 hours. In percentage terms, the Lok Sabha operated for only 15 per cent of its scheduled time, while the Rajya Sabha managed 33 per cent. These figures make the 2026 Monsoon Session one of the least productive in a decade.
A comparison with previous Monsoon Sessions highlights the sharp decline. The Lok Sabha had functioned for more than 37 hours during the 2025 Monsoon Session and over 44 hours in both 2022 and 2023. The gap is even more striking when compared with 2016 and 2018, when the House functioned for more than 120 hours and 112 hours, respectively.
The Rajya Sabha also recorded lower-than-usual functioning hours. While it worked for 41.9 hours in 2025 and 55 hours in 2023, the Upper House managed only 37.4 hours in the 2026 session. The last decade has witnessed several sessions affected by disruptions, but the latest session stands out for the significant amount of time lost.
But despite the disruptions, Parliament continued its legislative work. The session began with 30 pending bills. During the course of the session, 13 bills were introduced and 12 bills were passed. However, the overall legislative backlog did not improve. Parliament's this monsoon session ended with 31 bills pending, one more than at the start of the session.
The cost of lost parliamentary time has also come under focus. According to estimates, the expenditure of running the Lok Sabha is around Rs 2.5 lakh per minute. With repeated disruptions consuming a large part of the scheduled business hours, the value of lost parliamentary time runs into thousands of crores, and this session Rs 175 crore was lost.
As Parliament adjourns, the numbers tell a clear story. The 2026 Monsoon Session was marked by repeated disruptions and recorded the lowest productivity in a decade. With large chunks of scheduled business lost, the cost of wasted parliamentary time is humongous.
