NEW DELHI: MPs wait for Fridays for pushing private member bills, but they find themselves in a spot amid this growing trend of both Houses ignoring this unique feature, which is aimed at filling the gap left by the executive in public interest.
On Friday, the Lok Sabha had listed as many 246 private member bills, while scores of other proposals await the lottery for listing, but the House was adjourned after quickly passing two legislative proposals brought by the government.
“These private member bills, which have been pending since 2019, will now be pushed to the winter session. While the monsoon session is disrupted due to political purposes, there has been a trend of not giving importance to the private member business,” said Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, who had moved a few private member bills, which nevar came up for discussion.
Private member bills before the Lok Sabha on Friday concerned issues like fair compensations to dependents of martyrs from all forces including the state police, uniform education from primary sections to higher secondary schools and setting up a national commission for farmers.
BJP MP from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri had piloted a private member bill proposing unemployment allowances for youth with post-graduate degrees. NCP’s Supriya Sule was piloting a private member bill, which proposed to establish an authority to oversee the payment of financial assistance, provision of medical facilities, education and housing allowance, reservation up to five per cent in schools and institutions of higher education and five per cent reservation in jobs in both public and private sector for the dependents of martyrs.
A law for regulation of use of electronic devices, including mobile phones, by pedestrians, robust mechanism for disposal of electronic waste, compulsory voting, while another proposed mandatory first-aid training in schools. Mahtab, winner of the best Parliamentarian award, told this daily “this is highly discouraging that private member businesses are not being given proper attention”.