Parliament passes 15 bills during Budget session

Of the 37 bills - 27 in Lok Sabha and 10 in Rajya Sabha - that were introduced during the just concluded Budget session, the lower house passed 21 bills and upper house 16 bills. 

Briefing media persons at a press conference in the capital, union minister of parliamentary affairs and water resources Pawan Kumar Bansal said the total number of bills passed by both houses of parliament during the session was 15. 

One bill, Lotteries (Prohibition) Bill, 1999, was withdrawn in the Rajya Sabha.

Bansal said that 15 sittings were held in the first part of the session, (from 22 February to 16 March 2010) while 17 sittings were held during the second part (from 15 April to 7 May).

He also said the Lok Sabha witnessed loss of 70 hours and Rajya Sabha another 45 hours during the session, adding that the 'question hour' could not be held on four days in the Lok Sabha and seven days in the Rajya Sabha.

The session was mainly devoted to transaction of financial business relating to Railways and General Budgets for 2010-11. During the first part of session, the Railway Budget for 2010-11 was presented to Parliament on Wednesday, 24 February 2010, and the General Budget for 2010-11 on Thursday, 26 February 2010, the Bansal said.