Maha: sharp drop in working days, number of questions asked during 14th assembly

Mumbai, Aug 20 (PTI) There was a significant decline in the number of working days and questions asked by the MLAs during the 14th legislative assembly of Maharashtra which functioned from 2019 to 2024, a report put together by a city-based NGO claims.

Praja Foundation on Tuesday released the Mumbai MLAs `report card' at the Mumbai Press Club.

The 14th assembly witnessed only 119 working days, from 206 days in the 13th Assembly (2014-2019) and 201 days in the 12th Assembly (2009-2014), it said.

The number of questions asked during the 12th Assembly was 40,512. The same dipped to 22,404 during the 13th Assembly and 11,132 during the14th Assembly (2019-2024), the report highlighted.

"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of deliberations should have been expanded, leveraging technology," said Milind Mhaske, chief executive officer of Praja Foundation, expressing concern over the decline in legislative productivity.

The report comes a few months before the assembly polls in Maharashtra.

The report also evaluated the performance of 34 out of 36 MLAs from Mumbai. Mhaske said that assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar and minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha were excluded from this exercise.

Amin Patel of Congress, Sunil Prabhu of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Varsha Gaikwad of Congress emerged as top performers, while Nawab Mallik of the NCP, and Shiv Sena MLAs Sada Sarvankar and Prakash Surve ranked the lowest.

When asked about Malik, who was in jail for a long time in an Enforcement Directorate case, Mhaske said he could have still raised questions relating to his constituency, or could have vacated the seat.

Praja Foundation has been releasing the Mumbai MLA and corporators' report cards since 2011. PTI KK KRK