Unethical environment spoiled more than 22 percent of the sitting sessions of LokSabha : Citizen’s Watch Report.

The indecorous behavior of people’s representatives in the so called ‘august houses’ and their unethical misdemeanor spoils more than 22 percent of the valuable time of last LokSabha ,reports Citizen’s Report on Governance and Development-2008-09 by Social Watch India. National Social Watch Coalition (NSWC) is a nation-wide participatory effort to track governance by various civil society organizations and concerned citizens.  It produces an annual report on governance and addresses issues of concern at the regional level. 

The Report also points towards a “new high” in the corruption and criminalization of legislators witnessed in cash for-vote scam.  The “corrupting influences” are not confined to such manifest spectacles. Says the Report, pointing towards the influence of corporate housed to: influence the functioning of legislators in order to evolve policies that facilitate their vested business” Since the 14^th Lok Sabha commenced in June 2004 , average hours worked by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha by the end of 2007 was 4.3 and 3.3 respectively. Average working hours seems to have declined over the year: in 2000 the average for both the Houses was 5.5 and 4.4 hours respectively, which subsequently improved marginally in the year 2003 to 6.1 and 4.7 hours.” In this backdrop of ever increasing parliamentary indecency, the latest report to be issued by watch dog organization National Social Watch Coalition’s Annual Report on Governance and Development, could be an eye opener as to how parliament is headed towards abyss of ignominy. The outgoing parliament with slogan shouting, walk-outs and boycotts have resulted in a colossal waste of time and public money.

The Report underlined ‘new highs’ in its falling standards as detailed in the report.  The Report flags trivialization of legislature, development disparity and poor service delivery. According to a new Report the performance of the 14^th Lok Sabha as it comes to an end is a telling tale on the “falling standards”.   What is striking, however is that the deterioration has intensified in areas where it had set in earlier and in the process the erosion has moved into hitherto uncharted territories” The conduct of business in Parliament, marked by reduced number of sittings, insufficient apportionment of time to the main functions of deliberating and legislation as well as the frequent and prolonged disruptions due to commotions and pandemonium is “cause for high concern”, the report says.

The 2008-09 Report points towards continued slumps in the time devoted to legislative business.  The first Lok Sabha devoted 49% of its time on legislative business, compared to that merely 25% was devoted to legislative business in the Lok Sabha during 2001-07.  The decline in the seriousness with which legislative business is conducted is also evident from the pattern which is emerging from the time devoted to the passage of bills.  Many of the Bills were disposed off within minutes of the discussion.