House panel attendance bar may be lowered

THE LS SPEAKER OBSERVED THAT WHILE MINISTRY OFFICIALS COME IN LARGE NUMBERS AND PREPARED TO DEPOSE, OFTEN MEETINGS GET DEFERRED FOR WANT OF QUORUM

NEW DELHI: With Parliamentary standing committee meetings frequently plagued by low attendance, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha authorities are set to reduce the quorum, or the bar for minimum attendance in these meetings.

From the current requirement of a minimum attendance of one-third members, the committees will be allowed to function with just one-fourth members in attendance, two senior MPS said on the condition of anonymity.

The General Purpose Committee (GPC) of the Lok Sabha met on Thursday to discuss issues before the House panels. “We deliberated on many options. One leader even suggested that if the chairman alone is present, the meeting of the panel can continue. But finally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and others favoured that the bar for quorum will be reduced to one-fourth strength of the panel,” said an Opposition MP on condition of anonymity.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who chaired the meeting, observed that while ministry officials come in large numbers and fully prepared to depose before a House, often meetings get deferred due to want of quorum. Many other GPC members shared the same view.

“It’s a colossal waste of time,” said another Opposition MP.

Many MPS have stayed away from coming to Delhi to attend House panel meetings after the Covid-19 pandemic. Some Opposition MPS had demanded online meetings of the standing committees but both Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are yet to accept the proposals.

While MPS can claim daily allowance for attending the committee meetings, there is some restrictions imposed in air fare reimbursements they can claim.

Parliament has 24 department related standing panels, out of which 16 belong to the Lok Sabha and the remaining come under the purview of the Upper House.

During the performance review of the panels for the fiscal year 2019-20, Birla had sought a report on the attendance of MPS in panel meetings.

According to an official, Birla is also open to shifting MPS with low attendance to other panels to maximise their contribution.