Assurances in Parliament

Context:

Since 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) made 421 assurances in the Lok Sabha and 338 in the Rajya Sabha. However, the MHA dropped nearly 15% and 12% of these assurances, the highest percentage among all Ministries.

Understanding Parliamentary Assurances

• An assurance is a commitment made by a Ministry during a parliamentary discussion that requires further action and reporting back to the House.
• If an assurance is not fulfilled within three months, the Ministry must apply for an extension or request for it to be dropped.
• The Committee of Government Assurances, formed in 1953, monitors the implementation of these commitments.

Status of Assurances in Lok Sabha

• As of March 24, 2024, nearly 65% of assurances made in 2024 are still pending.
• Pending assurances from previous years:
  • 2023: 44% still pending
  • 2022: 18% still pending
• Example: A March 2023 question by Congress MP B. Manickam Tagore about Adani-owned ports remains unresolved.

Status of Assurances in Rajya Sabha

• As of March 24, 2024, nearly 66% of assurances made in 2024 are still pending.
• Pending assurances from previous years:
  • 2023: 36% still pending
  • 2022: 24% still pending
• Between 2014 and 2022, the share of dropped assurances ranged between 2% and 15% in Rajya Sabha.

Ministries with the Highest Dropped Assurances

• Home Affairs Ministry (Highest)
  • Examples of dropped assurances:
    • 2014: Question on terrorist attacks and arrests (Sirajuddin Ajmal).
    • 2014: Inquiry into out-of-turn promotions and gallantry awards for policemen involved in fake encounters (Asaduddin Owaisi).
    • 2019 & 2020: Questions on the Pulwama terror attack (Manish Tiwari).
• Other Ministries among the Top Five:
  1. Finance
  2. Law and Justice
  3. Road Transport and Highways
  4. Railways

The high rate of dropped assurances, especially by the Home Affairs Ministry, raises concerns about government accountability. Pending and dropped assurances highlight the gap between commitments and execution, impacting public trust and policy transparency. The Committee of Government Assurances needs to enforce stricter oversight to ensure that promises made in Parliament translate into real action.

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