15.3. Implications of poor functioning of Parliament

♤ Lack of accountability of the government: If the parliament doesn’t function properly, it

can not hold the government accountable for its actions.

♤ Low productivity: Disruptions and reduced number of sittings lead to lesser workforce productivity of both Houses. For instance, productivity for Lok Sabha in the 2016 winter session was 14%, while that of the Rajya Sabha was 20%.

♤ Cost to the Public Exchequer: Certain legislations when delayed lead to high cost to public exchequer and also bear a huge cost to society. E.g. It is estimated that the delay in passing the GST Bill cost the nation 4% of GDP.

♤ Legislative Vacuum: Delay in policy making creates a legislative gap which is then filled with other bodies in a direct assault on the doctrine of Separation of Powers.

♤ Declining faith in democratic process: Parliament as an institution becomes less relevant for national policy making.