Online Gaming among 12 bills passed
NEW DELHI, Aug 21:
The Monsoon session of Parliament concluded today with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourning sine die after nearly five weeks of proceedings marred by disruptions and protests.
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The Opposition’s persistent walkouts and agitations obstructed the smooth conduct of Zero Hour and Question Hour on most days primarily over the Opposition’s demand for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls.
This resulted in a significantly truncated working schedule. The Rajya Sabha clocked 41.3 hours of functioning, while the Lok Sabha managed only 37 hours of productive sessions against a target of 120 hours agreed upon at the start of the session. Over 85 hours were lost due to interruptions and forced adjournments.
The Government Yesterday referred three important bills—Constitution (One Hundred & Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025–to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) comprising 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members, nominated by the Speaker and the Deputy Chairman respectively.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved the motion for referral amid sustained Opposition sloganeering in the Upper House. The motion was carried by voice vote. The committee is mandated to submit its report during the first week of the upcoming Winter session.
Rajya Sabha also passed the much-debated Online Gaming (Regulation) Bill, 2025, which proposes a complete ban on online money gaming, encompassing skill-based, chance-based, or mixed games. The legislation seeks to curb the negative social impact of online gambling, which, as Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pointed out, has devastated many families.
The Bill, which imposes a penalty of Rs 1 lakh and imprisonment of up to three years for violations, was earlier passed by Lok Sabha.
Despite the din and protests, several other key bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha during the session, including The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025. Others were The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
On the other hand, the Bills that were passed in the Lok Sabha this Monsoon session included The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of Goa Bill, 2025, The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The others were, The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. (PTI)
Most legislative business in both Houses was conducted amid vociferous protests, and several bills were cleared in the absence of Opposition members.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in his valedictory address, expressed deep concern at the deterioration of Parliamentary decorum. He lamented the failure to achieve the session’s deliberative targets due to repeated disruptions orchestrated by the Opposition.
Highlighting the session’s achievements, he noted the introduction of 14 Government Bills and the passage of 12, alongside 419 starred questions listed for discussion, of which only 55 were taken up for oral answers. At least 41 matters were raised under Rule 377 while 89 reports were presented by Department related Standing Committees in the Lower House.
The Speaker urged members to reflect on their responsibility towards maintaining the dignity and decorum of the House, emphasizing that Parliament must be a forum for serious and meaningful debate rather than sloganeering or disruptions.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh also faced intense protests after rejecting 18 notices seeking suspension of proceedings to discuss these and other issues, citing non-conformity with rules.
The session saw a 16-hour special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, with a concluding reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, a special discussion on India’s space programme was held on August 18. (PTI)
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