State Assemblies met for average 21 days in 2022: report

State Assemblies across the country met for an average of 21 days in 2022 and the number of sittings of the State legislatures has been steadily declining since 2016, according to a report compiled by think-tank PRS Legislative Research.

State Assemblies across the country met for an average of 21 days in 2022 and the number of sittings of the State legislatures has been steadily declining since 2016, according to a report compiled by think-tank PRS Legislative Research.

The report said the 28 State Assemblies met for 21 days on average in 2022. Karnataka met for the highest number of 45 days, followed by West Bengal (42 days) and Kerala (41 days).

In most States, the legislature meets for two or three sessions in a year — a longer Budget Session held between January and March, followed by brief Monsoon and Winter Sessions. Twelve States, including five in the northeast, met for only two sessions in 2022.

Around 61% of the sittings were held during the Budget Session. The Tamil Nadu Assembly held more than 90% of its sittings in the Budget Session. Gujarat and Rajasthan held more than 80% of their sittings in the Budget Session.

The average duration of a sitting across 20 States was five hours. On average, a sitting in Maharashtra lasted eight hours, while in Sikkim, it lasted two hours.

Between 2016 and 2022, 24 State Assemblies met for an average of 25 days. Kerala had the highest average number of 48 sitting days a year, followed by Odisha (41 days) and Karnataka (35 days).

The number of average sitting days has declined steadily from 2016 to 2022, with a dip in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.