Nearly 50% of Assurances Made by NDA Government in Parliament are Pending

In the ongoing winter session of parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has given 284 assurances under various ministries to the questions posed by the opposition parties as on 27 December. According to the Lok Sabha committee on government assurances, only 48 percent of assurances are fully implemented and nearly 50 percent governmental assurances are pending with the ruling party in the current 16th Lok Sabha.

This year’s Winter Session of Parliament has begun on 15 December and is scheduled to conclude on 5 January 2018 with a total of 14 sittings.

Looking at the whole period since the BJP led NDA came to power in May 2014, out of 4434 assurances given by the government in Lok Sabha, only 2141 assurances were fully implemented, 63 partly implemented and 2146 assurances are still pending with the government.

In the previous 15th Lok Sabha, out of the 5182 assurances given by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, 95 percent were fully implemented. Also, the 15th Lok Sabha has recorded phenomenal increase in the number of assurances given by the government when compared to the earlier ones which saw a total number of 33 and 159 assurances in 13th and 14th Lok Sabha respectively. 

In the last Budget and Monsoon sessions this year, out of 777 assurances given by the BJP-led govt., only 116 have been implemented so far.

Do assurances matter?

Parliament sessions are held thrice a year - Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions. Members of Parliament participate in the voting, debates and discussions held in the Parliament in order to pass legislation. However, certain lapses in the implementation of government policies are questioned by the MPs representing opposition parties, and accordingly the respective ministry clarifies and gives an assurance to take up the case. It is a solemn promise made on the floor of the House. It is precisely because of the importance of such promises that Parliamentary procedure lays down that a Committee with members from all parties should regularly track these assurances and report their findings to the public.

For instance, in the last Monsoon session, MP M.K. Raghavan addressed a question on the distress in agricultural produce sale to the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare. In response, the government assured that it is working for an Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMCs) markets model act. However, the assurance is still pending while no such bill has been proposed in the current winter session. In the same session, MP Mohammad Salim asked a question regarding the speedy disposal of cases pending in courts to the Ministry of Law and Justice. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad made an assurance in this matter which is in pending stage.

Clearly, the BJP led NDA govt. is quick in making promises but tardy in actually fulfilling them.