Is parliament shirking its duty?

When the winter session of parliament resumed on Tuesday, it lasted all of 30 minutes, when the opposition’s disruptions forced the Lok Sabha to be adjourned. The Rajya Sabha had also been adjourned to condole the death of two sitting members. The day was wasted, and so was the tax-payer’s money; it costs Rs. 160 crore to keep the parliament running everyday. That’s just the immediate loss; the greater loss is the paralysis that has set in due to a lack of decision-making and an appetite for policy change. According to PRS Legislative Research, a policy study group based in Delhi, there were 37 Bills listed for passing in the Monsoon Session, and only 10 were passed. In the Budget Session, the plan was to pass 33 Bills, of which 5 were passed. For the winter session, the Government’s legislative agenda includes 31 pending bills for consideration and passing, and 23 new bills for introduction. Parliament will need to be at its efficient best as three important Bills related to tackling corruption need to be discussed: The Lok Pal Bill, the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, and the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Persons making disclosures Bill. Also to be tabled are the Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Amendment, and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill. At a time when India is faced with slow GDP growth, a sinking stock market and high inflationary pressures, any delay in decision-making will ensure that India digs itself into a hole, one that will be very difficult to climb out of.