More bills passed in session of introduction, PRS data shows
Of the 64 bills introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha so far, 34 or 53 per cent were passed by both Houses in the session of their introduction, an analysis of PRS Legislative Research data shows. The proportion was 33 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha and about 62 per cent in the 17th. In the Monsoon Session that ended on August 13, 11 of 12 bills introduced were passed. PRS said nine bills were cleared without any MP other than the piloting minister speaking, and seven of the 11 passed in five minutes or less.
Source
PRS Legislative Research · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- 34 of 64 bills (53%) introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha were passed by both Houses in their session of introduction. — Attributed to an analysis of PRS Legislative Research session-wise data; figures consistent within source.
- The proportion was 33% in the 16th Lok Sabha (63 of 189) and about 62% in the 17th (117 of 190). — Attributed to PRS data analysis; arithmetic consistent with stated totals.
- In the Monsoon Session ending August 13, 11 of 12 bills introduced were passed; only the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 remained pending. — Figure appears in source, attributed to PRS records.
- Nine bills were cleared without any MP other than the piloting minister speaking; seven of 11 passed in five minutes or less. — Attributed to PRS; no independent verification possible.
- Lok Sabha functioned for 15% of scheduled time and Rajya Sabha 33%, with Question Hour at 1% and 12% respectively. — Attributed to PRS; source lists causes of disruption but gives no further sourcing.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is not merely a statistic about legislative speed — it is a political indicator of how the balance of influence inside Parliament is shifting. The 18th Lok Sabha started slowly on same-session passage but accelerated from 2025, culminating in 11 of 12 bills clearing in the Monsoon Session, even as the Lok Sabha functioned for just 15 per cent of its scheduled time. In other words, when the House is stalled, it is not the government's legislative agenda that suffers most, but the Opposition's own space to debate — and that is now the central political argument.
- Passing 11 bills while the House worked only 15 per cent of its scheduled time suggests disruption may deliver the Opposition a political message but not a legislative outcome.
- PRS noting that nine bills saw no MP other than the piloting minister speak, and that seven of 11 passed in five minutes or less, hands the Opposition a powerful "legislature without debate" charge.
- Six of the 11 bills passed were not on the government's original agenda, while two listed pending bills were not passed — pointing to considerable flexibility for the treasury benches to reorder priorities mid-session.
- The government side has a counter-argument too: the FCRA Amendment Bill went to a Joint Committee and several bills in earlier sessions were referred to parliamentary committees, so scrutiny channels are not entirely closed.
- With the same-session figure at 62 per cent in the 17th Lok Sabha against 33 per cent in the 16th, this looks less like a one-off choice and more like a parliamentary practice that has settled in over a decade.
What to watch — Watch whether the Opposition sticks with disruption as its main lever or pivots to demanding committee referrals and guaranteed debate time, and how the VBSA and FCRA committee processes unfold.
The story establishes a statistical trend only; it does not establish that the quality of legislation suffered, nor does it record how specific parties strategised or how government and Opposition leaders responded.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
PRS Legislative Research, an independent not-for-profit that tracks Parliament and state legislatures, compiles session-wise data on how bills move through the two Houses. An analysis of that data shows that in the 18th Lok Sabha, a majority of bills are being passed by both Houses in the very session in which they are introduced, with the trend sharpening from 2025. PRS has repeatedly flagged that a short gap between introduction and passage leaves MPs little time to scrutinise legislation and limits stakeholder consultation. The pattern coincided with a Monsoon Session (July 20 to August 13) marked by heavy disruptions and very low functioning of both Houses.
Key facts
- Of 64 bills introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha so far, 34 (53 per cent) were passed by both Houses in the session of introduction.
- In the 16th Lok Sabha, 63 of 189 bills introduced (33 per cent) were passed in the session of introduction.
- In the 17th Lok Sabha, 117 of 190 bills introduced (about 62 per cent) were passed in the same session.
- In the Monsoon Session that ended on August 13, 11 of the 12 bills introduced were passed; only the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 remained pending.
- Nine bills were cleared without any MP other than the piloting minister speaking; seven of the 11 bills were passed in five minutes or less.
- Six of the 11 bills passed by Parliament had not been listed for introduction in the government's original legislative agenda, which had listed five new bills for introduction and passage and two pending bills for consideration and passage.
- This year's Monsoon Session had 19 sittings; Lok Sabha functioned for 15 per cent of scheduled time and Rajya Sabha for 33 per cent.
- Question Hour ran for one per cent of scheduled time in Lok Sabha (just nine minutes overall, with two of 380 listed questions answered orally) and 12 per cent in Rajya Sabha.
Timeline
- Budget Session 2024None of the 11 bills introduced was passed by both Houses during that session.
- Winter Session 2024The four bills introduced remained pending; the only bill to complete passage was the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, introduced in the previous Budget Session.
- Budget Session 2025Three of the five bills introduced were passed in the same session.
- Monsoon Session 2025Eight of 13 bills introduced were passed within the session; the other five were referred to parliamentary committees.
- Winter Session 2025Seven of nine bills introduced were passed in the session; the remaining two were referred to committees.
- Budget Session 2026Five of the 10 bills introduced completed passage through both Houses in the same session.
- July 20 to August 13 (Monsoon Session, 19 sittings)11 of 12 bills introduced were passed amid disruptions over the NEET-UG paper leak, police action at Jantar Mantar and alleged theft of Ram temple donations.
Who has a stake
- Members of Parliament — A short gap between introduction and passage leaves less time to examine bills; nine bills passed with no MP other than the piloting minister speaking.
- Union government / piloting ministers — Secures rapid passage of its legislative agenda, including six bills not listed in the original Monsoon Session agenda.
- Opposition parties — Demanded withdrawal of the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, which was referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament; disruptions cut House functioning.
- Parliamentary committees / Joint Committee — Scrutiny role: the panel examining the VBSA Bill, 2025 has not presented its report; FCRA Amendment Bill referred to a Joint Committee.
- PRS Legislative Research — Independent, not-for-profit tracker of Parliament whose session-wise data underpins the findings on legislative scrutiny.
- Citizens and stakeholders affected by laws — Faster passage limits opportunities for consultation on proposed legislation.
Why it matters
Legislative scrutiny depends on time: when more than half the bills of a Lok Sabha are passed in the very session they are introduced, and several clear the House in five minutes or less without any MP but the minister speaking, deliberation shrinks to a formality. The same session saw Lok Sabha function for only 15 per cent of its scheduled time and Question Hour for nine minutes, weakening the executive-accountability function of Parliament. Together these trends raise questions about the quality of law-making and the role of committees and consultation.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- PRS Legislative Research: independent, not-for-profit body researching and tracking Parliament and state legislatures.
- 18th Lok Sabha: 34 of 64 bills (53 per cent) passed in the session of introduction; 16th Lok Sabha 33 per cent, 17th Lok Sabha about 62 per cent.
- Monsoon Session ended August 13; held July 20 to August 13 with 19 sittings.
- Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 was the only bill introduced in the Monsoon Session left pending.
- FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment) Bill, 2026 referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
- Question Hour: nine minutes in Lok Sabha; two of 380 listed questions answered orally.
Mains framing
The PRS data point to a structural shift in Indian law-making: the share of bills passed in their session of introduction rose from 33 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha to about 62 per cent in the 17th and stands at 53 per cent in the 18th, with the trend accelerating from 2025 (three of five bills in Budget Session 2025, eight of 13 in Monsoon 2025, seven of nine in Winter 2025 and 11 of 12 in the latest Monsoon Session). The causes visible in the source are procedural rather than speculative: bills brought outside the announced agenda (six of 11 in the Monsoon Session), minimal debate (seven bills passed in five minutes or less, nine with only the piloting minister speaking) and disruption-shortened sittings, with Lok Sabha functioning 15 per cent and Rajya Sabha 33 per cent of scheduled time. The implication, as PRS notes, is less time for MPs to examine legislation and fewer opportunities for stakeholder consultation, compounded by a weakened Question Hour (one per cent of scheduled time in Lok Sabha). A way forward suggested by the story's own facts lies in the committee route, which was used for the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 (Joint Committee) and the VBSA Bill, 2025, and for the bills referred to committees in the 2025 sessions, alongside adherence to the published legislative agenda and protection of scheduled House time.
Key terms
- PRS Legislative Research
- An independent, not-for-profit group that researches and tracks the functioning of Parliament and state legislatures.
- Session of introduction
- The same parliamentary session in which a bill is introduced; passage within it means minimal time for scrutiny.
- Joint Committee of Parliament
- A panel of members from both Houses set up to examine a bill; the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to one.
- VBSA Bill, 2025
- Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill; listed for consideration and passage, but the committee examining it has not presented its report.
- Question Hour
- The first hour of a sitting for MPs to question ministers; it ran nine minutes in Lok Sabha this Monsoon Session.
- Legislative agenda
- The government's list of bills for introduction, consideration and passage in a session; six passed bills were not on it.
Practice questions
- "Speed of passage has replaced depth of scrutiny in Indian law-making." Examine this statement in the light of recent PRS data on bills passed in their session of introduction.
- Discuss the role of parliamentary committees in improving the quality of legislation, using recent examples of bills referred to committees and those passed without such reference.
- Frequent disruptions have reduced both House functioning and Question Hour to a fraction of scheduled time. Analyse the consequences for executive accountability and suggest reforms.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.