On May 12, the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, announced a special economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore (equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP) with the aim of making the country independent against the tough competition in the global supply chain and to help in empowering the poor, labourers, migrants who have been adversely affected by COVID.

The Standing Committee on Human Resource Development (Chair: Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya) submitted its report on issues related to safety of women in March 2020. The Committee observed that several laws have been framed for the welfare of women.

The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Shipping, Mr. Mansukh Mandaviya, on March 12, 2020. The Bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in India and provide greater autonomy to these ports. It seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.

Agricultural productivity depends on several factors. These include the availability and quality of agricultural inputs such as land, water, seeds and fertilizers, access to agricultural credit and crop insurance, assurance of remunerative prices for agricultural produce, and storage and marketing infrastructure, among others.

The Standing Committee on Water Resources examined the subject ‘Review of ground water scenario, need for a comprehensive policy and measures to address problems in the country with particular reference to (i) dark blocks, and (ii) contamination of underground water by certain industries’ and submitted their report in December 2015.

Over its five year term, the 15th Lok Sabha was disrupted frequently and witnessed a decline in time spent on legislation and oversight of the government. Disruptions over the allocation of 2G spectrum, coal blocks, FDI in retail, demand for Telengana, and the Commonwealth Games were the highlight of the 15th Lok Sabha.

Parliament in the recent past has witnessed a significant loss of time due to continued disruptions by a section of MPs. This Session was no different, dominated by disruptions on the issues of bifurcation of Andhra