Editorial 1 : Let them speak
Introduction: The absence of procedural mechanisms for deliberating on contentious issues is at the heart of parliamentary dysfunction. It has led to the current impasse between the government and the Opposition and the resulting unprecedented situation.
What led to the suspension of MPs
- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha suspended 141 Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) for disrupting its proceedings in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
- The Opposition parties have insisted that the Home Minister make a statement addressing the security breach.
- The government’s stand is that the security of Parliament is a sensitive matter.
- It comes within the purview of the Lok Sabha secretariat, and the government will follow the directions of the Speaker, Om Birla, in this regard.
- The Speaker has informed the House that a high-level committee is investigating the matter.
- And some of the suggestions provided at an all-party meeting have been implemented.
History of Parliament’s Disruption
- The regular disruption of our parliamentary proceedings by MPs started in the 1960s.
- These were by individual MPs who felt that the presiding officer was not giving them adequate opportunity to highlight matters they considered important.
- Towards the end of its term, the third Lok Sabha suspended eight MPs together, indicating that disruptions were going to become the norm in our parliamentary discourse.
- Since then, there have been numerous occasions when MPs have disrupted the national legislature and have been disciplined for it.
- What started as the genuine concerns of MPs, became the conscious tool of political parties to halt the business of parliament as a political strategy.
- And while the nature of the disruption evolved, Parliament’s institutional response remained simplistic and unchanged.
- It still views disruptions as a disciplinary problem that can be addressed by penalising MPs.
How much of our parliament’s structuring is responsible for the current problem?
- Part of the problem lies in the way we view our Parliament.
- Our Constitution framers designed our national legislature as an institution that was meant for the government to transact its business.
- They gave the government the power to convene Parliament.
- The rules of parliamentary procedure strengthened this thought process.
- These rules were based on the pre-independence British template.
- Their purpose was to ensure the colonial government’s business had primacy in the legislature.
- Adding to this notion, was the Westminster parliamentary principle that the smooth functioning of the legislature was the responsibility of the government.
- This is a flawed way of looking at the highest law-making, accountability and representative institution in the country.
- This gives the government the power to decide the legislature’s agenda and control what issues get debated in it.
- Legislatures are collaborative spaces, where both the treasury and the Opposition should work together for a better outcome for the country.
- An elected government’s role should be to set legislative and fiscal priorities.
- The opposition’s responsibility should either be to oppose those ideas or to strengthen them by suggesting alternatives or pointing out gaps.
- And if the government is not swayed then to respect the will of the people.
- But our parliamentary system does not provide adequate space for Opposition parties in Parliament.
- They can suggest and demand the raising of specific issues in the legislature.
- But it is up to the government whether to accept them or not.
- And therein lies the crux of the problem.
- If Opposition MPs are not able to have a say in the House, it invariably leads to disruptions.
- So far, the institutional response has been to penalise disrupting MPs.
- As recent events have shown, this approach has become unworkable.
How the problem of disruption can be tackled?
- For Parliament to work effectively, penalizing MPs will not be enough.
- It will require a change in its procedures so that the Opposition can also set the agenda for debate in the two Houses.
- Currently, only private members get two-and-a-half hours every Friday to discuss important legislative and policy issues.
- However, there is no mechanism where a group of MPs can require that a specific discussion take place in Parliament.
- The only mechanism available to them to force a debate is through a no-confidence motion.
- Perhaps, it is time that Parliament thought about incorporating specific days for the Opposition in its calendar of sittings.
- Like the House of Commons, these days could be reserved for deliberating on issues that the Opposition considers important.
Conclusion: The recent disruptions and en masse suspension of MPs should be a wake-up call for our national legislature. These events highlight that its reputation as the highest forum for deliberation is at risk. Parliament needs to find better solutions for fostering debate, or risk the slow erosion of public faith in it.
Editorial 2 : A climate paradox
Introduction: The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai brought global attention to the need for urgent action against global warming, with India positioning itself as a leader of the Global South.
India and Climate Justice
- Climate justice has been India’s position at COP meetings over the years.
- In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the inequity of climate impact.
- While the conference’s final text stopped short of explicitly calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels, the historic agreement on transitioning away from fossil fuels hinted at the potential “beginning of the end” for the fossil fuel era.
- India’s role at the conference was, however, noted for its absence in signing crucial decarbonisation pledges, including the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge aimed at tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The contradiction in India’s stance at COP28 and reality on ground
- India has made strides in the RE sector, securing the fourth position globally for renewable energy capacity installations in 2022.
- The International Solar Alliance, a joint initiative of India and France launched during COP21, testifies India’s will to promote REs.
- Solar energy in India attracted investment worth $310 billion last year. It is expected to be $380 billion this year.
- The latest National Electricity Plan projects a leap in solar and wind energy production to 35 per cent of the country’s total electricity output by 2032, up from 10.6 per cent in 2022.
- India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions sets a goal of approximately 50 per cent of the country’s cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
- These investments and plans are in stark contrast with India’s position in Dubai on fossil fuel. India continues to rely on fossil fuels.
- According to the Central Electricity Agency’s monthly report, RE generation during October 2023 decreased by 12.38 per cent as compared to October 2022 and thermal power plants, mainly coal-based, generated around 78.74 per cent of the total electricity in the same month.
- Renewable energy comprised 17.9 per cent of the total, while nuclear and hydro contributed 3.02 per cent and 0.34 per cent.
- Ember, an independent energy think tank, estimates that fossil fuels accounted for 77 per cent of India’s electricity production in 2022.
- Coal had the largest share at 74 per cent, followed by gas (2.7 percent) and other fossil fuels (0.1 per cent).
- The Net Zero Emissions scenario by the International Energy Agency projects that to keep global temperature increases under 1.5 degrees, India would need to eliminate sub-critical coal facilities by 2030.
- It will need to achieve a completely decarbonised electricity sector by 2040 in order to attain net-zero emissions by 2050.
- However, India’s current commitments are to achieve net zero by 2070 and ensure that 50 per cent of its energy capacity comes from renewable sources by 2030.
The complexities in India’s green transition
- On the one hand, there’s a recognition of the need for renewable energy sources.
- This is evident in the National Electricity Plan which outlines a strategic shift towards renewables up to 2026-27 and beyond.
- But, the plan also anticipates a more than 150 per cent increase in additional coal capacity in the latter half of the decade — going against earlier drafts and signalling a significant ramp-up from 9.4 GW to 25.5 GW in the final version.
- While the plan does eliminate some coal capacity envisaged for the near term, the 25.6 GW already under construction is to remain — this adds up to an additional 51.1 GW of new coal capacity over the next decade.
- Only a minimal retirement of the existing coal fleet is planned — a stark deviation from the path needed to align with the objective of carbon neutrality in 2070, that India committed to at COP 26.
- The Climate Action Tracker has described India’s climate targets and policies as “highly insufficient”. This assessment is based on the expectation that, under current policies, India’s overall emissions will continue to climb past 2030.
- To contribute fairly to the global fight against the climate crisis, India’s emissions would need to not only meet but stay below the projections under current policies.
The impact of climate change on India
- The impact of climate change is palpable across India, with heatwaves becoming both more frequent and severe.
- The country now averages 23.5 heatwaves annually, over double the yearly average from two decades prior.
- The decade from 2010 to 2019 saw a 25 per cent increase in heatwave incidents compared to the previous decade, with a corresponding rise in heat-related mortality.
- Last year, India recorded twice the number of heatwave days compared to 2012 — the previous record year.
- Research suggests that climate change has made such extreme heat events 30 times more likely with urban areas, often several degrees warmer than surrounding rural regions, feeling the most intense effects.
- These heatwaves underscore the urgency for India to enhance its renewable energy infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for electricity, especially for cooling purposes.
Conclusion: A new report of the International Renewable Agency has confirmed that renewables would lead to savings of $156 billion for emerging economies. India has immense potential to develop RE and the manner in which it expands and scales up this capacity will be a critical barometer of its contribution to global climate change mitigation in the coming decade.