Praja Report | In assembly, between 2009 and 2019: ‘MLAs from city asked 74% less questions since 2009’
Of the 36 Mumbai MLAs, the report has evaluated the performance of 31, excluding four ministers and one vacant seat due to the death of Shiv Sena's Ramesh Latke.
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Meanwhile, there has been a 27% increase in the number of MLAs with a criminal record during the same period. While there were 15 MLAs with a criminal record in 2009, it increased to 19 MLAs in 2019. (File)MUMBAI’S MLAs have been asking fewer questions in the Assembly as compared to the past, claims city-based Praja Foundation’s ‘Mumbai MLA Report Card 2022,’ released on Tuesday. The report has found a 74% decline in the number of questions asked by MLAs in 2019 compared to year 2009. While only 2,056 questions were asked in 2019, nearly 7,955 questions were asked in the House in 2009. Also, there was a 62% decline in the number of questions asked on health for the same period, to 264 questions from 695 questions. Similarly, there was a 78% decline in number of questions asked on education to 189 questions in 2019 from 864 questions in 2009. Eleven MLAs asked more than 150 questions.
Meanwhile, there has been a 27% increase in the number of MLAs with a criminal record during the same period. While there were 15 MLAs with a criminal record in 2009, it increased to 19 MLAs in 2019.
Of the 36 Mumbai MLAs, the report has evaluated the performance of 31, excluding four ministers and one vacant seat due to the death of Shiv Sena’s Ramesh Latke.
Between 2019 and 2021, nearly 2,630 questions were asked by MLAs from Mumbai. Of these, 378, that is the highest number of questions, were asked about health, followed by 304 about housing and 303 about crime. While 238 questions were asked about education, 148 were about civic issues, 104 were regarding roads, 142 were on transport, 125 regarding community welfare, 84 regarding pollution and gardens.
Milind Mhaske of Praja Foundation said, “For a standardised tool for performance measurement, we need to look at the legislative performance of MLAs. While we acknowledge the efforts from MLAs outside the legislature to improve the quality of life of their legislators, we have to work on the basic clarity that it is the government’s job to deliver, while the MLAs’ job is to hold the government accountable.”
During the pandemic, the Assembly met for 18 days in 2020, and for four days after the lockdown on March 24, 2020. Maharashtra ranked 10th out of 19 states with available data, in terms of duration of its assembly sessions in 2020. The top three MLAs, according to Praja report, are Congress MLA Amin Patel, BJP MLA Parag Alavani, and Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Prabhu. The bottom three ranked MLAs are Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar and Prakash Surve, and BJP’s Rahul Narvekar.
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