Decline in Maharashtra Legislative Productivity: An Alarming Report

A report by Praja Foundation reveals a significant decline in the number of working days and questions asked by MLAs during Maharashtra's 14th legislative assembly (2019-2024). This drop in legislative activity, marked by only 119 working days and a decrease in questions asked, raises concerns about legislative productivity.

A city-based NGO, Praja Foundation, has revealed a concerning decline in legislative productivity during Maharashtra's 14th legislative assembly (2019-2024) compared to previous terms.

The report highlighted that the assembly had only 119 working days, a significant drop from 206 days during the 13th Assembly (2014-2019) and 201 days during the 12th Assembly (2009-2014). The number of questions posed by MLAs also decreased dramatically, from 40,512 in the 12th Assembly to 22,404 in the 13th Assembly, and just 11,132 in the 14th Assembly.

Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation, expressed concern that the legislative scope should have been expanded despite the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging technology. The report assessed the performance of 34 out of 36 Mumbai MLAs, ranking Amin Patel, Sunil Prabhu, and Varsha Gaikwad as top performers, with others like Nawab Mallik ranked lower.