According to the reports withdrawal of special allowance to the Members of Parliament (MPs) for attending the meetings of Dept-related Parliamentary Standing
Committees (DRSCs) has had no impact on their attendance in the meetings of these committees.
This was revealed in analysis undertaken by RS Secretariat at behest of Chairman Naidu. Attendance increased during 2019-20,despite covid.
According to reports when such allowance wasn't available over 2016-17 when MPs were entitled to 25% of airfare as allowance for attending committee meets.
This allowance was discontinued from April 1, 2018. During 2016-17, when the allowance was available for full year, the average attendance in 119 meetings of 8 DRSCs was 47.64%.
As per sources it increased to 48.79% for 119 meetings during 2019-20 when such allowance was not allowed.
During 2017-18, the special allowance was available for 6 months.
During 2018-19, all the 8
committees of Rajya Sabha reported low attendance.
According to sources due to the General Elections to Lok
Sabha in the first half of 2019.
Accordingly, 2016-17 was taken as the reference year for assessing the impact of meeting allowance to MPs on attendance during 2019-20 and 2020-21.
The DRSCs are reconstituted mid September with a tenure of one year.
The average attendance increased from 47.64% during the reference year of 2016-17 to 48.79% during 2019-20 despite the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020 and its peaking in September
that year.
The attendance however, fell marginally to 44.59% for 136 meetings during 2020-21 as the country witnessed outbreak of more severe second wave of the pandemic during 2021: Sources
During the two year period of 2019-20 and 2020-21 during when a total of 255 meetings were held by the 8 committees of Rajya Sabha.
Despite the covid pandemic, the average attendance has been
46.75%, only marginally lower than that of 2016-17.
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