For Official Use Handbook on the Working of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Handbook on the Working of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Second Edition Edited by Dr. R.S. Shukla, IAS Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. xi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xiii PREFACE Life is an unending journey of discovery, but it need not necessarily be so while handling one’s official business. A carefully documented procedural manual of all the main processes managed by an organisation could eliminate the element of surprise and uncertainty which one encounters when inducted into a new organisation or when there is a change of assignment in the same organisation. All organisations, particularly government organisations, are understandably very busy managing the work allocated to them. In the course of this daily grind it is difficult to find time to look at the administration of various processes from the outside or to reflect internally on them. However, if certain critical processes have to be managed well and their quality has to be guaranteed in all situations, irrespective of the personnel entrusted with the tasks, a modicum of documentation is absolutely essential. As a matter of fact, process documentation is the first step in the journey of quality assurance leading to ISO quality certification. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs handles several key processes relating to the management of government business in Parliament and issues pertaining to the welfare of Members of Parliament, among others. In the nature of things, these processes entail a zero-defect approach. The Handbook of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has been designed with this end in view. The chapters in this book were identified in the context of the work allocated to the Ministry in the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 (as amended up to 12/1/2004). The broad framework of each chapter comprises explaining the concerned task through a background note, listing out various components of the process and documenting the policy decisions taken from time to time with regard to that process. At the core of these chapters is a set of samples provided as annexes, which will facilitate speedy and efficient implementation of the processes. In most cases, a check list too has been included in order to achieve the objective of zero-defect. The preparation of this Handbook, spread over several months on account of pressure of routine work during the Parliament sessions, has been a journey of introspection and self-discovery for all of us involved in this unique and exciting project. All the officials and xiv staff members associated with the preparation of this Handbook have really looked within and taken time off to look at the processes from the outside in order to document, in the minutest of details, different aspects and dimensions of every process. I would, in particular, like to put on record my deep and abiding appreciation of the wholehearted commitment of Shri K.K. Thakur, Deputy Secretary to the project. Without his faith in the outcome of the project, it would have been a non-starter. He has been by far the key contributor to the text of the Handbook. My thanks are also due to all the other main contributors to the Handbook, namely, Shri Dhani Ram, Deputy Secretary; Smt. Santosh Prabha, Under Secretary; Shri Bhoj Raj, Under Secretary; Shri M. S. Chopra, Under Secretary; Smt. Rewa Rani, Under Secretary; Shri Joseph Zacharias, Section Officer; Smt. Suman Bara, Section Officer; Smt. Manorama Bhardwaj, Hindi Officer; and Shri P. Bepari, UDC. They all did an excellent job of developing the material and providing the inputs, beyond the call of normal duty. In the fitness of things, Shri P. Gopalakrishnan, Joint Secretary, a recent entrant to the family of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, put together the chapter on ‘Ushering in a New Lok Sabha’, which was not part of the original scheme of the Handbook. I am also grateful to all other officers and staff members of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, who contributed to the preparation of this Handbook in different ways. I am also grateful to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministers of State in our Ministry, who have greatly appreciated and encouraged the preparation of this document. I am sure, this Handbook will serve as a beacon light for all those organisations in government which have to manage critical and specific processes within an inviolable time frame. I look forward to receiving valuable suggestions for further improvement of this pioneering initiative. V.K. Agnihotri, Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs June 20, 2004 New Delhi xv CONTENTS Message from the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs V Messages from the Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs VII-IX Preface to the Second Edition XI Preface XIII Abbreviations XVI 1. The Genesis, Evolution and Structure of the Ministry 1 2. Ushering in a New Lok Sabha 13 3. Summoning and Prorogation of both Houses of Parliament 20 and Dissolution of Lok Sabha 4. Legislative and Financial Business of the Government 32 5. Other Government Business in Parliament 61 6. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs 79 7. Consultative Committees 92 8. Monitoring Replies to Special Mentions and Rule 377 Issue 104 9. Monitoring Assurances 113 10. Salaries, Allowances & Facilities for MPs 120 11. Welfare of Members of Parliament 143 12. Appointment of Members of Parliament on Committees, etc 145 13. Handling of Parliamentary Work in Ministries 152 14. All India Whips’ Conference 160 15. Creating Awareness about Parliamentary Systems & 166 Procedures 16. Training of Officials 175 17. Goodwill Delegations 184 18. Miscellaneous Processes 187 19. ea=ky; dh jktHkk’kk laca/kh xfrfof/k;ka 197 Bibliography 202 Annexes 205 Index 586 vuqØef.kdk 594 xvi ABBREVIATIONS A&P : Accounts and Purchase ATR : Action Taken Report AC : Air Conditioning AIWC : All Indian Whips’ Conference BAC : Business Advisory Committee CGEIS : Central Government Employees Insurance Scheme CCPA : Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs CGHS : Central Government Health Scheme CEA : Children’s Educational Allowance CC : Consultative Committee CGA : Committee on Government Assurances DA : Dearness Allowance DCRG : Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity DTC : Delhi Transport Corporation D.O. : Demi Official Deptt. : Department GPF : General Provident Fund GSR : General Statutory Rule HMPA : Hon’ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs ISO : International Organisation for Standardisation IFA : Internal Financial Adviser IFD : Internal Finance Division ICPS : Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies JC : Joint Committee JPC : Joint Parliamentary Committee JE : Junior Engineer LTC : Leave Travel Concession LDC : Lower Division Clerk LS : Lok Sabha LSR : Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha xvii LS Sectt. : Lok Sabha Secretariat ME : Members’ Emolument MP : Member of Parliament MPA : Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs MOS : Minister of State NCT : National Capital Territory NDMC : New Delhi Municipal Committee OM : Office Memorandum O&M : Organisation and Methods OBC : Other Backward Classes OTA : Over Time Allowance OSD : Officer on Special Duty PMO : Prime Minister’s Office PSU : Public Sector Undertaking PSI : Permanent Special Invitee RS : Rajya Sabha RSR : Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States RS Sectt. : Rajya Sabha Secretariat SC : Select Committee SCs : Scheduled Castes SD : Directions by Lok Sabha Speaker STs : Scheduled Tribes SO : Statutory Order SOR : Statement of Objects and Reasons TA : Travelling Allowance UO : Unofficial UDC : Upper Division Clerk UT : Union Territory 1 THE GENESIS, EVOLUTION AND STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY Coordinating Agency in Parliamentary Democracy In a parliamentary democracy, parliamentary work constitutes one of the important preoccupations of the government. The day-to-day working of the system makes large claims on the time and resources of the various administrative departments of the government. Though, at any given time, the Houses of Parliament may be concerned with a single legislative proposal or an issue of Government policy or the performance of a department in charge of an individual minister, the total parliamentary programme, over a period of time, covers numerous intricate issues (financial, legislative and nonlegislative) concerning various Ministries/Departments of the Government. In order that this enormous and diverse parliamentary work may be handled efficiently on behalf of the Government in the Houses of Parliament, it is necessary to have a coordinating agency between Parliament and the Government as a whole. In India, this task is presently assigned to a full-fledged Ministry, known as the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in charge of a Cabinet Minister. Genesis of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Before the Indian Independence Act, 1947 came into operation, the Secretary of the Ministry of Law, who used to be a nominated member of the Legislative Assembly, assisted the Leader of the House in the Central Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Department of the Government of India, inter alia, served as the coordinating agency between the Central