4500 pending assurances given by UPA now NDA's responsibility

NEW DELHI: More than 4500 assurances given by the UPA II government during its tenure on various issues such as taxation, defence deals and money laundering among others on the floor of the parliament will now either have to be implemented or dropped by the NDA government. Some of these assurances included action against officials involved in Augusta-westland chopper case, setting up of overseas income tax units, illegal sand mining and others.

Over the past five years, UPA ministers gave 12,540 assurances on various important issues in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Of these about 4,508 remained unfulfilled until the end of the UPA government, according to information obtained from parliamentary affairs ministry. As per the rules, pending assurances have to be implemented by the new government or could be dropped with the prior of parliamentary standing committee on government assurances.

Even if the government brings major changes in the policies, it would be difficult to drop many of these pending promises. Irrespective of the change in the government, assurances will have to be implemented, said KN Balagopal of CPI (M) and a member of parliamentary standing committee on government assurances. “Despite change in the policies, mandate of the government remains more or less same, it would be wrong to say that new government will request for dropping pending assurances,” he said.

Take the promise that Union Coal minister made in May 2010. He assured that the government is preparing a draft bill for setting up a Coal Regulatory Authority and it would be finalised after holding consultation with the different Ministries. In July that year, the Centre assured that it will take steps to stop the Khap diktat-killing by amending the existing law or to enact separate law.

The Home ministry, under Rajnath Singh’s charge, has the highest of 379 assurances pending for action. It is followed by Finance and Law ministry with 288 and 246 promises to be fulfilled respectively. Interestingly, at least 75 promises made by the NDA government during its tenure between 1998 and 2004 are yet to be implemented.

While replying to questions in the house or during discussions on bills, resolutions and motions ministers give assurances or undertakings to consider a matter or take action. These promises are recorded by Parliamentary affairs ministry. A parliamentary standing committee on government assurances scrutinises these promises from time to time and reports on the extent to which they have been fulfilled as they have to be implemented within 3months. If ministries are unable to finish the work on time, they have to seek an extension and if they are unable to implement it, the ministry requests the committee to drop the promise.