Vice President unveils 15-point reform on Parliament Functioning

On October 29, 2019, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a 15-point reform charter for a new political normal to enable effective functioning of the Parliament and State Legislatures.

The Charter

• The pre and post Legislative Impact should be assessed
• The functioning of Department related Standing Committees of Parliament should be ensured through longer tenures instead of reconstitution every year as at present. The recommendations to the committee should be based on academic backgrounds.
• The minimum number of sittings for both the Parliament and State Legislatures per year should be approximately prescribed
• The law makers should abide by the rules of the house. The political parties should take responsibility be enforcing a code of conduct
• Rules should be framed that take automatic effect against erring members in case of interruptions and disruptions
• The political parties should ensure at least 50% attendance of the members of legislatures everyday to address the issues of lack of quorum
• The secretariats of legislatures should publish regular reports on the attendance of members during the proceedings.
• The functioning of anti-defection law and whip system should be reviewed

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2019