Centre likely to extend Parliament session till 2 August to complete legislative business, say sources

New Delhi: The government is likely to extend the ongoing session of Parliament to complete its legislative business, top government sources said Friday.

The ongoing session is scheduled to conclude on 26 July, but the sources said the government is mulling its extension till 2 August to ensure passage of all the bills listed for business.

Union ministers are in touch with Opposition parties to bring them on board for the extension.

Though, some Opposition leaders said they are not in favour of such a proposal but the sources asserted that a decision on this session’s schedule is the prerogative of the ruling dispensation.

People have elected parliamentarians to work, they should not shy away from this fact, a top government functionary said in response to the Opposition’s scepticism over extension of business.

As per the government’s legislative business, 13 bills are pending for passage, including the contentious triple talaq bill, which is likely to be taken for consideration in the last week of the session.

The ongoing first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, which started on 17 June, has so far been the most productive in the last 20 years, with the Lower House registering 128 percent productivity till Tuesday, according to think tank PRS Legislative Research.

The Lok Sabha has been working for more than its scheduled time and has sat till midnight on two occasions to complete its legislative business.

“This session, the Lok Sabha has been working for more than its scheduled time. Till 16 July, 2019, the Lok Sabha’s productivity is at 128 percent which is the highest for any session in the past 20 years,” the PRS Legislative Research said.

Similarly, the productivity of the Rajya Sabha, where the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led dispensation lacks majority, unlike the Lok Sabha, is also relatively high.

The productivity of the Upper House was 98 percent till Tuesday, according to the non-profit organisation.

Productivity means the number of hours the House actually functioned compared to the the number of hours officially earmarked for it to work.