Time-please...

The fundamental idea of maintaining a lively, accountable and fruitful Parliament as a central body, is to nurture democracy. Since last few years, the Indian Parliament has been more in the news for needless controversies. Since its inception in 1952, the Lok Sabha sat for over 100 days every year. But since 1988, the Lok Sabha sittings have dropped down to about 80 days a year. As if this decrease was not enough, from the year 2003, the Lok Sabha sat merely for 74 days in a year. Studies reveal that, there were merely 53 sessions in 2004, 85 sittings in 2005 and 77 sittings in 2006, and this year i.e. 2007, just 49 sittings have taken place. Ironically, there essentially hasn’t been improvement in proceedings even after the ascent in the number of educated members in Parliament. Often the educated and the suave do not turn-up for sessions and if they do, their contribution remains minimal. The current winter session of Parliament is also a short one. The government is planning to wrap it up by November 30, 2007 under one pretext or the other. For all the big talks of the aam admi, it is unfortunate that when it comes to debate about their well being, the Parliament finds it difficult to spare time. If it costs about Rs.26,000 per minute to run Parliament, one can gauge the loss that is incurred due to abrupt closing of sessions. Well, if they don’t want, let them not go there to debate. How about using this money to give fodder and shelter to the hungry and homeless instead? Isn’t that better democracy?