How much are repeated Parliament adjournments costing taxpayers
What's the story
The ongoing Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament has been marred by frequent disruptions, costing taxpayers a whopping ₹25.28 crore so far. The session, which started on July 21, has seen both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned multiple times due to opposition protests over various issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Cost breakdown
Disruption cost calculated at ₹2.5 lakh per minute
The cost of the disruptions has been calculated at ₹2.5 lakh per minute, a figure first quoted by then Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal in 2012. This is based on the assumption that each House was to function for six hours a day over three working days. However, due to repeated adjournments, Rajya Sabha worked for only 4.4 hours and Lok Sabha for just 0.9 hours during this period.
Time lost
Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid opposition sloganeering
The Rajya Sabha lost 816 minutes (₹10.2 crore), while the Lok Sabha lost 1,206 minutes (₹15.08 crore) due to these disruptions. This way, ₹25.28 crore has been incurred in both the Houses in just three days. On Thursday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day again amid opposition sloganeering, with Speaker Om Birla criticizing the behavior as "street-like." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on various issues during this session.
Protests continue
Key bills to be taken up
The opposition has been demanding a debate on Bihar SIR and Modi's presence during discussions. Amid these protests, key bills like the Goa ST reservation bill and the Merchant Shipping Bill were scheduled for discussion but remained unaddressed due to adjournments. Other major Bills like the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, are also lined up for discussion.