Due to continued disruptions by opposition parties, Rajya Sabha lost 40 of its 50 working hours and the productivity of the house fell to 13.70 per cent in the second week of the ongoing monsoon session, officials said.

The Upper House clocked a productivity of 32.20 per cent during the first week and the overall productivity was 21.60 per cent for the first two weeks.

Of the total 50 working hours available, 39 hours and 52 minutes were lost due to disruptions, the officials said.

The House, however, sat for 1 hour 12 minutes beyond the scheduled time, but for which the productivity would have been much lower, they said.

During the nine sittings of the first two weeks, Rajya Sabha could have only 1 hour 38 minutes of Question Hour which is primarily meant for ensuring the accountability of the executive to Parliament.

It also had only 1 hour 24 minutes for legislative business passing four bills with seven members intervening. The house spent only one minute of Zero Hour and another four minutes on Special Mentions.

Covid-related issues were discussed for 4 hours 37 minutes during the first week and the minister for IT laid a statement on the Pegasus spyware issue during the first week, the officials said.

For the first time, the RS Secretariat has started reporting in the daily bulletins, the business of the House that could not be taken up.

During the first two weeks of the current session, 130 Zero Hour Submissions and 87 Special Mentions through which the members raise issues of public importance could not be taken though they were admitted by the Chairman.

Among the bills passed are The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021; The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill, 2021; The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were among the four bills introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, during the all-party meeting ahead of the session and the Business Advisory Committee meeting during the first week, has urged the government and the leaders of various parties to discuss the legislative and other business to be taken up in the House and also has been talking to them separately to enable smooth functioning of the House.