The Big Picture - Strengthening Parliamentary Institutions

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday pushed for the Women’s Reservation Bill and reforms in the way Parliament works including a code of conduct for lawmakers and greater powers to the presiding officer to deal with disruptive legislators. The Vice President, who delivered the first Arun Jaitley memorial lecture at Delhi University, also pitched for a minimum sitting for both Houses in a year and a longer tenure to parliament’s standing committees. Pointing out that women at present constitute only about 13% of Parliament, he urged political parties to take forward “the legislation in the Parliament for reservation of women in legislatures”. The Vice President also suggested a list of broad framework of reforms for parliamentary institutions to “enhance the trust of the people in them.” He suggested both “pre and post Legislative Impact Assessment” for “quality and informed law making. He also said that the practise of reconstituting Parliamentary standing committees every year can be stopped and nomination of members in the committees may be “based on academic backgrounds and their re-nomination on the same committees for a longer period.” On this edition of the big picture we will analyse how parliamentary institutions can be strengthened.

Guest Name:-

V. K. Agnihotri, Former Secretary General, Rajya Sabha,

Chakshu Roy, Head of Outreach, PRS Legislative Research

K.V. Prasad, Senior Associate Editor, The Tribune

Anchor: Frank Rausan Pereira

Producer: Sagheer Ahmad

[shashiketan]

*116.Strengthening Parliamentary Institutions*
• Role of MP's: should be present in the house to conduct business, minimise disturbances and increase the quality of debate & discussions - add value to democratic process
• Improving quality of debates: depends on the people that get elected. Organising training programmes or visits to other parliamentary countries to see how it’s done.
• Increase women's representation -13%: take forward the legislation for reservation of women in legislatures. It was once passed in RS in 2008.
• Criminalization of politics: People who have broken law are coming as lawmakers. Fast track courts to deal with cases against legislation
• More powers to presiding officers: Speaker LS has the power to suspend a member but chairman of RS cannot suspend a member in case of disruption – a motion has to be passed by the house.
• Increase the role of parliamentary committee: their term should be extended from 1 yr as the learning doesn’t get passed to other committee & inclusion of more specialists.
• Parliament’s role in law making:
o Pre & post legislative impact assessment.
o Whip should be looked at differently – room for dissent to parliamentarians to build consensus on an issue. Whip should be restricted to falling of government of passing of budget.
o Parliament meet for 75-80 days in a year: with increasing technical issues it should be increased to 120 days minimum.
Haryana had conducted legislative assembly for barely 20 days in a particular year.
o Schedule can be released well in advance for MPs to prepare.
o Providing research panel of experts for MP
• Delegation of responsibilities to MPs in concerned political parties.
• Code of conduct to MPs: penalties for violation

Parliamentary institutions need to be strengthened for a democratic, participative & inclusive law making process with detailed research on pre & post legislative impact where parliamentary secretariat, Committees & political parties have important role to play.

[jakma]

One more point added to this debate.. should ministers barred from heading political party position..

[jeeshithasampangi]

thank you so much for the wonderful debate :) grateful to rajya sabha tv

[kavyagowdakavyagowda]

People should elect the persons who have Parliament knowledge why should elect criminals and train them wasting our resource which is already scares

[abhinavsingh]

We have to elect educated and no criminal status parliamentarians.

[omkailash]

Priliament should stand on... discuss welfare to a sustainable country

[indiafirst.]

It needs holistic approach from all political parties and all MP's must have minimum education.(Without any criminal background)

[jayshelke]

Chakshu Sir Thanks
RS
Also Frank Thank