Praja report shows 50% drop in issues raised by MLAs
NEW DELHI: The latest Delhi MLA Report Card 2024, released by Praja Foundation on Friday, paints a concerning picture of the 7th Delhi Assembly’s performance. It evaluated 61 out of 70 MLAs based on several parameters including their attendance, the number and quality of issues raised, and their utilisation of the Area Development Fund.
Covering the period from March 17 2023 to April 8 2024, the report highlights a 50 per cent drop in the average number of issues raised by MLAs compared to previous years.
The top-performing MLA was Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, with a score of 81.81 per cent, followed by Bhupinder Singh Joon at 78.77 per cent, and Rajesh Gupta at 74.55 per cent. Their high ranks were attributed to their consistent participation in assembly sessions and raising citizen issues. “The performance of these MLAs shows they are fulfilling their responsibilities,” noted Pooja Verma, Associate Manager at Praja Foundation.
On average, MLAs raised only 649 issues annually during the 7th Assembly (2020-2023)—a 50 per cent decrease from the 6th Assembly (2015-2018), where the yearly average was 1,298 issues. Despite Delhi facing multiple challenges, including healthcare and infrastructure problems, the assembly has also met for just 17 working days per year, on average, from 2015 to 2023.
A staggering eight MLAs failed to raise a single issue during the reporting period. Among the active participants, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs raised 990 issues, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs brought up 426. Notably, only one out of the 61 MLAs scored above 80 per cent, underscoring the general decline in legislative engagement.
Praja Foundation’s CEO, Milind Mhaske, highlighted a concerning trend: MLA scores have declined from 51.30 per cent in 2022 to 49.29 per cent in 2024, with the bottom-five MLAs dropping sharply from 39.63 per cent to
19.01 per cent.
While issues on crime, education, and transport rose, health-related concerns fell from 74 in 2022 to 56 in 2023, a troubling decrease amid ongoing health crises.
