Naidu unhappy with RS House panels’ working

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu today expressed concern over the functioning of important parliamentary committees that are with the House, including thin attendance by its members during meetings, and suggested measures to ensure their quantitative and qualitative functioning.

Urging parties and members for action to improve functioning of committees, he said he would take up the matter with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Before he expressed his angst in the House, he met with Chairpersons of the eight “Department Related Standing Committees” (DRSC) that are with the Rajya Sabha. Members of both Houses are on these committees and with Chairpersons of the 12 “Standing Committees” of the Upper House.

During the meeting, he presented statistical evidence of the poor attendances in the meetings of the committees. Dwelling on the issue, he said the 41 meetings of House’s DRSCs were marked by poor attendance.

As many as 80 Rajya Sabha members are represented in these DRSCs, but only 18 have attended all meetings held since September. In a subtle message, he read out their names, saying it was by way of “token of appreciation for them and also to motivate others to do so”.

The statistics shared by him with the House, include average attendance in each of the 41 meetings held by the DRSCs being 48.54 per cent with the attendance ranging from a low of five at a meeting related to Home Affairs to 25 at a meeting of the committee on Human Resource Development.

He stated 18 of 168 Lok Sabha Members of these eight DRSCs also attended all meetings of respective committees. He made nine-fold suggestions to improve functioning of the parliamentary committees.