95 of the 244 MPs did not attend any of the parliamentary committee meetings

(PTI) New Delhi, Ta. March 2, 2020, Monday

Of the 244 MPs, 95 members did not attend the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee reviewing the allocation for all ministries after the introduction of the Union Budget for the financial year 2020-2021, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said today.

The 244 members selected from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha review the allotment in relation to the 24 departments. During the three-week break after the introduction of the budget, various committees consider the grants demands of all ministries.

Reporting the functioning of these committees after the recess on the first day of the Rajya Sabha, Naidu said that '95 out of the total 244, 39 per cent of the members did not attend any meeting on the demand of the grant. Last time there was zero attendance of 28 members'.

Of the 78 members of this committee, 23 per cent, ie 29 per cent, did not attend a single meeting this time, compared to 11 members of the December review meeting. Of the 166 members of the Lok Sabha, 78 or 47 were absent in panel meetings.

Naidu said that since the formation of departmental committees in 1993, most of the work has been done by these panels. This committee consists of all party members.

The seats of these committees are equal to 30 seats of Parliament and fill in the vacancies which fall within 60 or 70 days of Parliament. The three-week recess is for the exclusion of grants allotted to the Parliamentary Committee on 24 accounts.

The meetings of these committees have to be convened to review the allocation made in the budget on 1st February. The number of members absent in two or three meetings has increased from one hundred to 106 last year.