Mains Practice Questions

Approach:

• Briefly explain the concept of legislative productivity.
• Discuss the recent trends in legislative productivity.
• Highlight the key implications of the lower productivity of the legislature.
• Conclude with a suitable way forward.

Introduction:

Legislative Productivity refers to the efficiency and effectiveness with which Parliament and State Legislatures perform their core functions—lawmaking, executive oversight, budget approval, and debate on public issues. A persistent decline in output signals not just procedural lapses, but a deeper crisis of democratic functioning and erosion of national consensus.

Body:

The recent trends in legislative productivity :

• Number of Sitting Days: Parliament's sitting days have declined from around 135 days/year in the 1st Lok Sabha to just around 55 days/year in the 17th Lok Sabha.
  
  • Despite fewer sitting days, the 17th Lok Sabha passed over 200 Bills, reflecting a high volume of legislative activity.

• Length of Each Sitting: Longer sittings are essential for in-depth legislative deliberation.
  • However, in the 2023 Budget Session, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha functioned for only 33% and 24% of scheduled time respectively, making it the 6th shortest Budget Session since 1952.
• Number of Members Present: A strong quorum is vital for meaningful debate and informed decision-making.
  • In the 17th Lok Sabha (2019–2024), average MP attendance was 79%, but debate participation remained low, with MPs averaging only 45 debates each.
• Level of Disruption: Frequent disruptions, such as slogan shouting and walkouts, drastically reduce debate time.
  • The 15th Lok Sabha (2009–14) lost over 30% of its scheduled time to disruptions, severely affecting legislative productivity.
• Examination by Parliamentary Committees: In the 17th Lok Sabha, only 10% of Bills were referred to committees, a sharp drop from the 14th LS (60%), 15th (71%), and 16th (25%), with just 14 Bills reviewed.
• Functioning of Debates: Question Hour & Zero Hour, essential tools for executive accountability, remain underutilized or absent.
  • In the 17th Lok Sabha, Question Hour functioned for only 19% of scheduled time in Lok Sabha and 9% in Rajya Sabha.

Implications for Democracy

• Weakens institutional checks and balances by sidelining Parliament's oversight role.
• Reflects a crisis of representation, where public concerns are not adequately discussed.
• Reduces transparency and public trust in democratic institutions.
• Accelerates the ordinance route, bypassing legislative scrutiny (e.g., three farm laws of 2020 introduced as ordinances first).

Conclusion:

As political theorist Rajni Kothari noted, “Democracy is not just about numbers; it’s about negotiated consensus.” Reviving institutional respect, enhancing cross-party dialogue, and promoting reforms like NeVA and increased committee scrutiny are essential to restore parliamentary integrity.