Now Reading: Reform Parliament to boost MP interventions and public scrutiny
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Reform Parliament to boost MP interventions and public scrutiny
Hindustan Times reports that Parliament needs procedural reforms to improve legislative performance. Presenting a list of suggestions, the article notes that MPs from all parties want a minimum of 120 sittings annually.…
The Story in Brief
Hindustan Times reports that Parliament needs procedural reforms to improve legislative performance. Presenting a list of suggestions, the article notes that MPs from all parties want a minimum of 120 sittings annually. The first Lok Sabha averaged 135 days a year; the 18th Lok Sabha has averaged 67 days over two years.
Proposals include starting proceedings at 10 am, reserving an 'Opposition Hour', and ending the practice of treasury and opposition MPs sitting separately. Bills should face public consultation at the drafting stage and be referred to standing committees. Private member bills, of which only 2-3% are discussed, need more time. Committees also suffer from infrequent meetings.
The Indian Opinion
The piece rightly blames the focus on constituency work for the public's poor attention to MPs' parliamentary roles. But the narrative that MPs are merely development officers lets politicians off the hook for skipping debates. The real test is not just seat allocation or private member bill time. It is whether voters will demand performance scores from their representatives, not just pothole counts.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
