Over 7,000 minutes, Rs 175 Crore: Cost Of Monsoon Session Disruptions

The monsoon session of parliament faced constant disruptions but despite that, 20 bills were passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The bills though, were passed without debate, amid uproar or opposition walkouts.

According to available figures, 7,023 minutes have been wasted in this session. Given that the Lok Sabha incurs an expenditure of approximately Rs 2.5 lakh per minute, Rs 175 crore has been lost so far. 

But this is not the first time when an entire session has been lost to pandemonium. Recent decades have recorded numerous instances of sessions where no legislative business was conducted. 

Starting with the Bofors scandal in the '80s, there have been multiple issues that have brought proceedings to a standstill in parliament.

The Winter Session of 2010 went by over protests connected to the 2G scam and demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe. 

During the 2012 Monsoon Session, the Lok Sabha functioned for only 23 of the 60 scheduled hours due to issues surrounding the Commonwealth Games and the Lokpal Bill.

The 2015 Monsoon Session was disrupted by the Vyapam scam and the issue of former IPL chairman Lalit Modi leaving the country. Only 46 per cent of the scheduled work was completed.

The 2016 Winter Session was lost to the issue of demonetization, with approximately 92 hours of Lok Sabha time wasted.

During the second half of the 2018 Budget Session, very little work was accomplished due to banking scams and a no-confidence motion.

The 2018 Monsoon Session also saw minimal work due to protests over the Rafale jet deal and a no-confidence motion -- only 15 per cent of the scheduled business could be completed.

The Monsoon Session of 2023 was also highly tumultuous, with the issue of violence in Manipur scuttling the proceedings.