Members of parliament may select assistants from a pool of experts

Parliamentary officials are considering a proposal for Members of Parliament (MPs) to select assistants from a pool of experts in the upcoming Lok Sabha session. This move aims to enhance the lawmakers' performance and reduce their reliance on personal assistants, as per sources familiar with the matter. The idea for this initiative, currently in progress, was partly triggered by the fallout from the controversial cash-for-queries scandal involving TMC's Mahua Moitra.

The Lok Sabha secretariat is actively working on establishing a pool of professionals, including retired House officials and external experts well-versed in parliamentary procedures. Senior officials from the Lok Sabha are overseeing the development of this new system. However, the creation of such a pool can only occur after receiving approval from the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.

One of the factors influencing this decision was the National Informatics Centre's (NIC) alteration of protocol, restricting the access of lawmakers' personal assistants to the system following the Moitra scandal. Another significant concern prompting this move is the tendency of MPs to appoint relatives or acquaintances from their constituencies as personal assistants, many of whom may lack familiarity with parliamentary operations, consequently affecting the MP's performance in the House.

"To assist the MPs, we have decided to provide them professional support. We will recruit retired officials from the secretariat and young professionals from educational institutions who are knowledgeable about parliamentary procedures," stated a senior official involved in the process.

The Lok Sabha secretariat will determine a monthly remuneration for these experts. The model for this assistance program is akin to PRS Legislative Research's Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) program. LAMP Fellows, as described on the PRS website, work closely with MPs to gain insights into lawmaking and public policy.

Additionally, the Lok Sabha currently offers support through established channels such as PRISM, which provides well-researched documents on bills, and a 24x7 helpline for general information. Following the cash-for-questions scandal, significant changes were made to the access granted to personal assistants, requiring MPs to submit/finalize documents themselves, though they can still share access via One Time Passwords (OTPs