Venkaiah Naidu expresses concern over low attendance in parliamentary panel meetings

New Delhi, March 14: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday voiced concern over the drop in attendance this year in the meetings of parliamentary panels with the House and also called for the nomination of members with interest in the committees. After the second part of the Budget Session resumed following a 30-day hiatus for Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs) to evaluate the Demands for Grants of various ministries, Naidu delivered an account of the work done in this regard by the Rajya Sabha's eight Committees. He informed the House that these eight committees had held 23 meetings totalling 73 hours and 33 minutes, with each meeting lasting an average of 3 hours and 30 minutes. "This marked an increase of one hour 17 minutes per meeting over that of last year, constituting a rise of 56 per cent," the Rajya Sabha Chairman stated a few minutes after the House assembled for the day at 11 am. He further added that three Committees on Education, Personnel and Public Grievances and Commerce reported an average duration of meetings of over four hours during the recess period. Expressing concern regarding the drop in attendance in these Committee meetings this year, Naidu referred to a couple of chairpersons of the committees having met him this morning and reiterated the need for nominating members with interest in specialised and technical matters on committees dealing with those issues. Also Read | YouTube Vanced to be shut down 'due to legal reasons' He went on to say that members should make it a priority to attend sessions of parliamentary panels, even during election season. The Chairman also urged members to help facilitate a productive second half of the budget session, which began on Monday, by building on the positive spirit of the first half, which resulted in 101.40 percent productivity. After roughly three years, the Vice President stated the first half of the budget session saw eight full straight sittings without disruptions or forced adjournments, and he emphasised the importance of maintaining that atmosphere. In response to the situation in Ukraine, the chairman remarked that evacuating students from the nation was a difficult task and praised the central and state governments for their efforts. Urging members to observe Covid-19 appropriate behaviour both within and outside the House, Naidu announced that another safety measure, Ultra-Violet C-Band radiation, has recently been placed in the Rajya Sabha Chambers, which is particularly effective in eliminating the virus. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine war: Can China mediate peace between Russia, Ukraine? -PTC News