RS sat for nearly 80% of scheduled hours,LS 75% this session: Ananth Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha worked for 79.95 per cent of the scheduled hours during the Monsoon Session, which concluded today, while the Lok Sabha sat for little less at 77.94 per cent of the scheduled hours, Union minister Ananth Kumar said.

During the session, 17 Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha. Fourteen Bills were passed in the Lower House, while nine in the Upper House or the Rajya Sabha, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister told reporters here.

This is an "achievement" considering it was a short session and a considerable time was devoted to discussions on important issues and elections to the offices of President and Vice President, he added.

Both the Houses were adjourned sine die today.

"The Session provided 19 sittings spread over a period of 26 days. The productivity of Lok Sabha was 77.94 per cent and that of Rajya Sabha was 79.95 per cent," Kumar said.

He also said a special sitting was organised to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement during the session.

Kumar termed the extension of the Goods and Services Tax ( GST) to Jammu and Kashmir as a "historic achievement" and said passing of related bills will lead to the economic integration of the state with the rest of the country.

However, research body PRS Legislative Research claimed the Lok Sabha worked for 67 per cent of the scheduled hours and the Rajya Sabha for 72 per cent.

Fifteen Bills were introduced during the session and nine were passed, other than that the two appropriation bills and three bills were withdrawn, it claimed.