Winter Session concludes as key legislations replacing MGNREGA, pvt participation in nuclear sector passed

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) The short Winter Session of Parliament concluded on Friday as both houses were adjourned sine die after the passage of some key legislations, including the one replacing the 20-year-old scheme MGNREGA and others to allow the opening up of civil nuclear sector for private sector and 100 per cent FDI in Insurance.

Both the houses witnessed heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches during discussions on key legislations and debates.

While Lok Sabha saw 111 per cent productivity during the 19-day-long session having 15 sittings, Rajya Sabha saw 121 per cent productivity.

The total sitting hours during the Winter Session that began on December 1 was 92 hours and 25 minutes.

While the government termed the session as "very productive", the Congress said the session "started with the insult of Rabindranath Tagore and ended with the insult of Mahatma Gandhi".

Speaker Om Birla adjourned Lok Sabha sine die (for indefinite period) within minutes after the house met for the day. In his brief valedictory address, he lauded the high productivity of the house saying members sat till late hours to discuss crucial legislation.

As Birla read out his statement, some members were heard raising "Mahatma Gandhi ki jai" slogans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the house when the proceedings were adjourned.

Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan also adjourned the upper house sine die, after the laying of papers and after reading his statement on the house functioning.

The 269th Session of Rajya Sabha marked the first stint of Radhakrishnan presiding over the House after assuming office.

The Chairman strongly disapproved of disruptions by Opposition members during the passage of the rural employment guarantee bill (G RAM G), terming the conduct "unbecoming of Members of Parliament", and urged them to introspect and refrain from such behaviour in future.

"Disruption created during yesterday's sitting by the Opposition Members by shouting slogans, displaying placards, disrupting the Minister replying to the discussion, tearing up papers and throwing them in the well of the House showed conduct unbecoming of Members of Parliament.

"I earnestly hope that Hon'ble Members would introspect and not repeat such unruly behaviour in future," he said.

Rajya Sabha sat past midnight on Thursday to pass legislation that replaced the 20-year-old rural employment scheme -- the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) -- by boosting the number of guaranteed workdays to 125, up from the current 100 days per household for unskilled manual labour.

Opposition MPs protested the dropping of the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the new legislation - Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission - Rural (Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission - Rural).

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the session was "very productive" as eight bills were passed after debates in both Houses and these legislations will "speed up" the 'Reform Express' flagged off by Narendra Modi government to bring changes in the everyday life of common people.

"But the opposition's behaviour during the debate in Lok Sabha on Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was unacceptable. Some of the opposition members even stood atop the desks of the table office and (Lok Sabha) Secretary General. Some Congress members also conveyed that there was no need for a debate on pollution. That is why the issue could not be taken up for discussion," he said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, however, said the session began with the government "insulting" Tagore and ended with the "insult" of Mahatma Gandhi.

Terming it as a 'pradushan kaleen' session, Ramesh said that his party was absolutely ready to have a discussion on air pollution but the government was "running away" from it.

During the 15 sittings of the Winter Session, both the houses took up two politically-charged debates -- one on the 150 years of Vande Matram and the other on election reforms.

Modi initiated a discussion to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song. Lok Sabha discussed the subject for 11 hours and 32 minutes, during which 65 members participated.

Home Minister Amit Shah initiated the discussion on Vande Mataram in Rajya Sabha.

A debate on air pollution, which was to be initiated by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in Lok Sabha, could not take place.

The opposition had been insisting on a debate on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and protesting everyday, but the government made it clear that the poll panel and its functioning cannot be discussed and agreed to hold a debate on election reforms instead.

The issue was discussed for approximately 13 hours, with the participation of 63 MPs in the lower house. The opposition, however, focused its attack against the government on SIR, the new law on the appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners, and the "vote chori" issue.

In all, eight bills were passed during the session that included The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-G RAM G Bill, assuring 125 days of guaranteed jobs for rural India.

The legislation was passed amid opposition protests in both houses on Thursday, amid vociferous protests by the opposition which also tore the bill copies nd some papers in both houses.

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation, was also passed during the session.

Parliament also cleared a bill to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector to 100 per cent from the current 74 per cent. It is expected to increase insurance penetration, lower premiums, and boost job creation.

The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025, was cleared by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, a day after it was passed by the Lok Sabha. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also passed a Bill to repeal 65 amendment Acts and six principal laws, which had lost relevance.

The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025 were also among the bills that were cleared during the session.

It also passed the Supplementary Demands for Grants - First Batch, 2025-26.

However, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025, seeking to set up a higher education regulator was referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. Another bill on the market securities code was introduced and referred to a department-related standing committee for further examination. PTI KKS ASK GJS SKU NAB ACB ANZ SKC ZMN