Hon’ble Members,

Today we have come to the conclusion of the 262^nd Session of the Rajya Sabha. During the course of the session, we have successfully undertaken significant legislative activities with informed and insightful debate. A total  of 17 Bills including important path breaking bills related to Jammu & Kashmir, Appointment of Election Commissioners, the Post Office Bill, The Telecommunications Bill and the three Bills namely Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were passed during this session. These three bills unshackled colonial legacy of criminal jurisprudence that was hurtful to the citizens of this country and favouring alien rulers.

After the historic step of abolition of Article 370 and provision of one-third reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislatures, the House afforded the benefit of the same to the people of Jammu and Kashmir through the bills passed during the session. 

The Post Office Bill revamped the old colonial structure to set up the stage for fulfillment of the aspirations of the people of the country. These Bills represented the spirit of "Panch Praan" that would lay a firm foundation for Bharat's Amrit Kaal.

We were able to transact business for 65 hours during the 14 sittings and addressed over 2300 Questions from treasury and the opposition benches. During the period over 4300 papers were laid on the Table. I am pained to state that nearly 22 hours were lost due to avoidable disruptions adversely impacting our overall productivity that finally stood at 79 percent. Weaponizing disruptions and disturbance as a political strategy doesn’t resonate with our constitutional obligation of keeping the interest of people at large above any other political considerations.

Hon'ble Members, in line with our progressive initiatives of previous sessions in this session as well, we have ensured that our esteemed Lady Members would continue to represent fifty-percent of the Panel of Vice-Chairpersons and the Table of the House. I thank each and every Member of the Panel for their effective contribution in handling the session.

 During the course of the session, interns from various institutions from Andaman, Kerala, Rajasthan, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had the benefit to observe the functioning of Rajya Sabha. It was a part of our effort to establish a link with younger generations of this country whose future invariably rests with our constitutional obligations inside this Chamber.

 Let me conclude by expressing my deep sense of gratitude to the Hon'ble Deputy Chairman, Shri Harivansh Ji, whose guidance, experience, eloquence and expertise has helped to conduct the proceedings of the House smoothly. My thanks also to Secretary-General and his entire team of officers who have ensured seamless functioning of this session with utmost dedication.

 I wish each and every one of you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024. I am sure I am not alone in expecting 2024 will be a different year in a sense that will contribute wholesomely for the prosperity of Bharat and this House plays a constructive role in delivering so.

Thank You.

Jai Hind!

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MS

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