Productivity in Parliament

In news

• The President said that Members of Parliament (MPs), whether they represent the ruling party or the Opposition, are defenders of the dignity of Parliament and one should not confuse competition to be rivalry.

About

• The President was speaking at a function to celebrate Constitution Day in the Central Hall of Parliament. 
• It is expected that the Government and the Opposition, despite their differences, continue to work together in the best interests of the citizens.
  • Our Constitution makers had envisioned this and it is also necessary for nation-building.

Productivity in the Parliament

• According to PRS Legislative Research records since 1999, the worst Session in terms of productivity for both Houses was the Winter Session of 2010.
• For Lok Sabha, the Winter Sessions of 2013 and 2016 were the second worst-hit in terms of productivity.
  • For Rajya Sabha, the Budget Session of 2019 the last of the 16th Lok Sabha was the second-worst in terms of productivity: 7 per cent.
• The Budget Session of 2018 witnessed productivity of 21 per cent in Lok Sabha. The second part of the Session was completely paralysed.
• The productivity of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session 2021 stood at 28% and 22% respectively.

Reasons Low Productivity 

In 2001, a day-long conference was held in the Central Hall of Parliament to discuss discipline and decorum in legislatures. 

• All leaders came up with four reasons for such disruptions:
  • Dissatisfaction in MPs because of inadequate time for airing their grievances.
  • The matters such as the Pegasus issue, concerns over various bills are examples of causing disruptions. 
  • An unresponsive attitude of the government and the retaliatory posture of the treasury benches. 
  • Political parties do not adhere to parliamentary norms and discipline their members. 
  • The absence of prompt action against disrupting MPs under the legislature’s rules. 

Issues related to working of the parliament

• Reduced working hours of Parliament: The Parliament working hours are getting reduced day by day.
• Frequent Adjournment of Parliament sessions: In recent times, Parliament sessions are adjourned frequently. This hampers the work of Parliament.
• Resort to money Bill route: Several key pieces of legislation have been passed as Money Bills, despite the fact that they did not fit this category.
• Contentious issues not debated: When a contentious issue crops up, the government dithers on debating it, leading to Opposition MPs violating the conduct rules and disrupting the proceedings of Parliament.
• Less scrutiny of Bills: Most of the bills were passed without any scrutiny, as they were passed in the same session in which they were introduced.
• Lack of Parliamentary debate: For instance, in the recent monsoon session, out of 20 bills, 18 bills were passed without any discussion in Lok sabha.
• Hindrance To Representative Democracy: Parliamentary discussion is a manifestation of a representative kind of democracy in operation, in the sense that representation of the people directly questions the government on matters of governance.

Suggestions

• Increase in the working days of Parliament: Our legislature should meet throughout the year, like parliaments of most developed democracies.
  • But these increased days will not help prevent disruptions if opposition parties don’t have the opportunity to debate and highlight important issues.
• Prevent disruption of its proceedings: There should be a deepening of its role as the forum for deliberation on critical national issues. It is the only mechanism to ensure that disrupting its proceedings or allowing them to be disrupted ceases to be a viable option.
• Enforcement of a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs: There must be strict adherence to the code of conduct for MPs and MLAs so that disruption of proceedings ceases to be an option.
• Modify the Anti-Defection Act: Currently, MPs who deviate from their parties’ position earn a fatal whipping and lose their seats.
  • There should be modifications to the anti-defection law so that it applies only in cases where the government’s survival is at stake.
• Accord private member bills more space and respect: This will allow a variety of ideas to bubble up from the grassroots.
  • Governments will be able to listen to non-mainstream points of view and provide official support whenever appropriate.
  • This will enable your MPs to truly become lawmakers.
• Televise parliamentary committee proceedings: Bipartisanship and well-researched discussions are often the hallmarks of parliamentary committees. Yet this crucial aspect of the parliamentary process is well-hidden from the public.
• Enable “Public Interest Legislation: create a system that will enable MPs to hear the viewpoints of affected citizens and initiate appropriate policy responses.
• Bring Transparency to the Clash of Interests: Before legislation is passed, various publics and groups find a way to articulate their viewpoints to key political decision-makers.
  • In India, this usually happens behind the scenes.
• Developing an Index: Parliamentary disruption index should be created as a measure to monitor disruptions in legislatures and check indiscipline. It would also lead to the availability of more time for debate and discussion on issues before the House.

Source: TH