Rajya Sabha – ‘Rules of Procedure’ Reforms

What is the issue?

Vice President (and RS Chairman) Mr. Venkaiah Naidu appointed a two-member committee for suggesting reforms to the rules of the Upper House.
V.K. Agnihotri, former secretary general of RS, is heading the committee.

What is the salience of Rules of Procedure?

Both Houses of Parliament have their own rules of procedure and these rules govern every detail of how the Houses function on a daily basis.
They determine MPs’ participation in parliamentary proceedings while making laws, passing budgets, questioning the government and representing us.
In the seven decades since independence, governance has become complicated and the subjects of laws are more technical.
But the rules governing the functioning of the Rajya Sabha have not kept pace with the times, thereby proving to be a retardant.
There was hence a need for reforming them and the Agnihotri committee has been constituted with a mandate to submit its report within 3 months.

How did the current Rules of Procedure of Rajya Sabha evolve?

When Rajya Shaba commenced for the 1^st time in early 1952, it didn’t have rules of its own and rather relied on the constitutional assembly.
Subsequently, a committee of 15 MPs were constituted from with the Rajya Shaba to evolve its own rules of procedure, which was finalised in late 1952.
But only in 1964, Rajya Sabha got its rules codified into Article 118(1) of the constitution – which continues till now with minor alterations.
Periodic reviews have been carried out and the last such review for the Rajya Sabha happened in 2009.

What are the critical issues facing Agnihotri Committee?

The Agnihotri committee has to address four fundamental issues that are currently plaguing our parliamentary system.

Firstly - It seems that the two Houses of Parliament meet mostly for transacting government business (stifling of the opposition voices).
The committee will have to balance completion of government business with discussions raised by other political parties.
Secondly - The existing mechanisms (like Question Hour) for securing the government’s accountability to Parliament have lost their edge.
Measures for completely overhauling these mechanisms are required.
Thirdly – As issues facing Parliament are now more complex and technical, strengthening the deliberative prowess of the houses is needed.
Finally – Disruptions in parliament has become increasingly regular.
Hence, suggesting solutions for protecting the sanctity of parliamentary proceedings is needed.

Source: Indian Express