India: Lok Sabha adjourned sine die
New Delhi: The budget session of Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, a day after the passage of the much-debated Waqf Amendment Bill of 2025. The House will reconvene during the Monsoon session of Parliament, the dates of which have not yet been announced.
Rajya Sabha has also been adjourned till 1:00 PM on Friday.
Speaker Om Birla said the lower house of Parliament underwent 26 sittings from the commencement of the Session on January 31.
"We are at the end of the fourth session of the 18th Lok Sabha. This session started on January 31, 2025. In this session, we had 26 sittings, and the total number was about 118 per cent," Birla said while addressing the lower house during his closing remarks.
During the session, 10 government bills were introduced, and 16 bills, including the Waqf Amendment Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, were passed.
A total of 173 Honourable Members participated in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to President's address, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, adding that 169 members participated in the discussion on the Union Budget.
On Thursday, 202 members raised matters of public importance in the House during Zero Hour, which is a record for the number of matters raised during Zero Hour in a day for any Lok Sabha.
"I also thank my colleagues at the Chair's Table, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs, the Leader of Opposition, leaders of various parties and Members, the Secretary General, Lok Sabha Secretariat and the officers and staff of the Secretariat and the related agencies for their assistance in conducting the proceedings of the House," Birla said.
Rijiju said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be renamed the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Union government on Friday after the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 and said the government had taken a "negative stand."
"It is their interpretation, we kept our views on the bill in front of them (government). They have taken a negative stand, and they are taking it forward," Kharge told reporters.
The Lok Sabha, which discussed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.
The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
The Budget Session of the Parliament was convened in two parts; it commenced on January 31 and went on till February 13. The second part of Parliament's budget session began on March 10.
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