New Delhi, Aug 11: After days of disruption by opposition MPs protesting varied issues, peace finally returned to parliament Thursday and the government was able to get crucial legislation passed in the two houses - a first this monsoon session.
 Both houses of parliament were able to conduct their respective question hours without any disturbance. Important papers related to the functioning of various government departments and ministries were also laid on the table. Debates and discussions were also held, without a single adjournment.
 As peace returned, a legislation that allows the government full control of subsidiary banks of the State Bank of India (SBI) from the Reserve Bank of India was passed in the Lok Sabha after a two-hour debate.
 The Rajya Sabha also passed the Coinage Bill, 2009, that seeks to consolidate at least four laws pertaining to coins and mints, apart from prescribing strict penalties for illegal melting and counterfeiting of these legal tenders.
 The monsoon session of parliament had started on a stormy note on Aug 1 with opposition members cornering the government on issues like alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Commonwealth Games, rising prices and police crackdown on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists in the capital.
 In the first 10 days of the session that ends Sep 8, question hours in both houses had been disrupted almost every day. The number of questions answered orally as against the number that were listed to be answered till Wednesday were 14 as against 160 in the Lok Sabha and 18 as against 160 in the Rajya Sabha.
 Of the 32 bills listed for introduction at the beginning of the session, only five have been introduced so far. Thirty-five bills have been listed for passing but none was passed till Wednesday. IANS

Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST