New Delhi, April 06: As India prepares to elect a new
Parliament, a latest study shows that only 173 MPs in the 14th
Lok Sabha actually spoke on legislative issues while the House
passed nearly 40 percent of the bills with less than one hour
of debate.
The 'Citizen's Report on Governance and Development
2008-09', collated by National Social Watch Coalition -- a
conglomerate of civil society groups -- also brings out that
between 2000-2007, the average hours of working of Parliament
was not even 50 percent of the total time.
It noted that slogan-shouting, walkouts, boycotts and
adjournments were increasing over the years. The 11th Lok
Sabha lost 5.28 percent of its time due to pandemonium while
the same was 22 percent in the 14th Lok Sabha.
Each minute of Parliament costs the exchequer Rs 26,035.
"There is not a single session of Parliament during 2008
and 2009 that has not lost valuable man-hours on account of
unruly incidents. The year 2008 even witnessed the virtual
abrogation of a whole session of Parliament," John Samuel,
Convenor of the Coalition, said.
The report also found increasing absenteeism among MPs.
On examining the attendance records of the 11th and 12th
sessions of the 14th Lok Sabha, it was seen that more than 75
percent of the MPs were below the median point of 16 or more
days of attendance, according to the report.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, April 06, 2009, 00:00