By IANS,
New Delhi: The youth was the buzzword during the elections and 59 first-timers and many young members were elected to the 15th Lok Sabha, but their performance during the budget session has been dismal, according to a study.
The study by PRS Legislative Research of the proceedings of the house in its first month-long budget session that concluded Friday says the participation of the first-timers and the young MPs was below average and worse than their elders.
The PRS Legislative Research is an independent organisation studying parliamentary trends. It points out that first-term MPs form a significant section of each party (59 percent on an average). At 81 percent, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has the highest proportion of such MPs.
Here are the findings of the study:
* Each first-term MP participated in about 2.0 debates as compared to 2.5 for an average MP.
* For most parties, participation of such MPs was less than that of their more experienced colleagues. Though they form 59 percent of the strength of the Lok Sabha, their participation in debates was 49 percent.
* Young MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were more active than their older colleagues.
* Young MPs in the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP participated in debates less than their party averages.