Paper: GS – II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Legislative, Issue: National Legislative Index (NLI).
Context:
The National Legislative Index (NLI), a pioneering state-wise benchmarking system for India. The NLI aims to evaluate and incentivize improvements in the productivity, transparency, and innovation of state assemblies and legislative councils.
Key Highlights:
The Need for a National Legislative Index (NLI):
Evolving Governance and the Role of State Legislatures:
- Increased Scope and Complexity: Governance in India has expanded rapidly, requiring both political commitment and technical expertise.
- Need for Robust Institutions: State legislatures must evolve into research-driven, high-performing institutions capable of scrutiny, debate, and accountable lawmaking.
- Current Challenges: Assemblies are often paralyzed by ideological divides, diminishing productivity and public faith.
- Limited Sitting Days: State legislatures meet for an average of only 20-25 days a year.
Legislative Quality and its Impact:
- Influence on Key Areas: Legislative quality influences law-making, executive oversight, public engagement, and development outcomes.
- Limited Measurement Tools: Currently, there are limited ways to measure the quality and innovation of state legislatures, primarily through RTIs.
- Need for Institutional Mechanism: There is a need for a mechanism through which state legislatures can assess their functioning, identify gaps, and strengthen their performance.
Introducing the National Legislative Index (NLI):
- Systematic Evaluation
- Annual Publication
- State-Wise Benchmarking
- Incentivizing Competition
Key Indicators for Evaluation: The NLI will broadly look at indicators such as:
- Sitting Days and Duration: Number of sitting days and duration of each session.
- Bills Referred to Committees: Percentage of bills referred to committees.
- Time to Pass Bills: Average time taken to pass bills.
- Question Hour and Floor Debate: Hours devoted to question-hour and floor debate.
- Transparency and Digitization: Evaluate transparency, digitization, and technological integration.
- Knowledge Preservation: Institutional efforts for knowledge preservation.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits of NLI for Legislatures:
By fostering healthy competition and promoting best practices, the NLI seeks to strengthen legislative institutions and enhance democratic governance across the nation.
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