Paper: GS – II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Legislature, Issue: Reforming Parliament’s library service.
Context:
India’s Parliament Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) is a key asset, yet underutilised.
Key Highlights:
Significance of research:
- Parliament is not just for politics; it’s a place where policies are debated, scrutinised, and enacted.
- Legislating complex issues such as economic reforms, climate change, security requires access to top-quality research.
- Thus, Parliament Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) is crucial.
Current Use of LARRDIS:
- Limited access: Despite its global-standard infrastructure, LARRDIS is accessed by only a few MPs.
- Limited services: Services are limited to what is in digitised volumes. It is also not seen as a research or academic institution forcing MPs to rely more on PRS Legislative Research and their LAMP Fellows.
- Low Utilisation: Most MPs lack time or support to independently seek research. Political parties and think tanks often fill this gap, risking biased or partisan inputs.
- Functional issues:
- LARRDIS operates in a silo, lacking proactive research and engagement with academia and consulting.
- Though requests to MPs for information articles rose from 150 (1950) to 8,000+ (2019), services continue to remain reactive.
- Limited focus on trending topics and data analysis.
Measures needed:
| Global Best Practices:European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS): Provides timely, analytical input to MEPs.UK Parliament Research Services: Evidence-based, non-partisan research for MPs.Nordic countries and EU’s Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) also focus on Transparency, Neutrality, and Efficiency in research. |
India can adopt similar practices by engaging local think tanks and public research organisations (e.g., World Bank, OECD).
Conclusion:
Reforming LARRDIS is not merely administrative, but a democratic imperative. It will Improve legislative outcomes, reduce reliance on biased external inputs. empower MPs with evidence-based decision-making tools and rebuild citizen trust in institutions and governance.
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