Interestingly, salaries of MPs were increased four times in the last five years.
NEW DELHI: At a time when a delayed schedule for this year's winter session of Parliament is a matter of discussion in political circles, an examination of records shows that 47% of bills in the last 10 years were passed without any debate.
There has also been a steady reduction in parliamentary hours, a comparison with records of the first 20 years since 1952 show. Between 1952 and 1972, the House ran for between 128 and 132 days a year, according to parliamentary sources. In the last 10 years, it ran for 64 to 67 days a year on an average.
Parliament passing a good number of legislations without any debate is in itself an abuse of the parliamentary system. Records show that 47% bills in the last 10 years were passed with no discussion at all. Sixty-one per cent of these (24% in all) were passed in the last three hours of a session.
In the last 10 years, 31% of legislations were passed in Parliament with no scrutiny or vetting by any parliamentary standing or consultative committee. However, there is no mandatory requirement to refer bills to committees.
Another alarming trend is the decline in standards of educational qualifications of lawmakers in the last 20 years. To make matters worse, while educational qualifications of MPs have fallen, there has been a consistent demand by them for hike in their own salaries. The number of MPs with doctorate, post-doctorate and post-graduate degrees has declined by 62% in the last 20 years, records show.
As for the debate on dynastic politics, exceptions seem to be few in number, especially among the youth brigade in Parliament. In the last 10 years, 71% MPs below the age of 30 were second or third generation parliamentarians and among those below 40 years, 57% had similar credentials.
Interestingly, salaries of MPs were increased four times in the last five years.
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
