PRS Legislative Research

PRS Legislative Research

Do you know….

• Each US Congressman gets a government funded staff of 20+ people for research, an Indian MP gets Rs. 14,000 for one PA and one researcher?

• An Indian MP represents 2 million people on average whereas a US Congressman represents one third that number on average?

• US Congressmen are supported by a Congressional Research Service(CRS), Indian MP’s have no institutional support.

• MP’s are required to create laws and policies that affect 1.2 billion people with limited or no research data.

Innovation: PRS is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization.• Provides free research service to MP’s and citizens• PRS produces easy to understand 4-6 pages long Legislative Brief on a range of bills. These Briefs are sent to all MP’s in both houses of Parliament and 1200 NGOs and 500 top companies of the country.• Systematically tracks all aspects related to the functioning of Parliament• Training over 1000 journalists across India• All the work of PRS, including tracking MPs’ performance, is put on the internet.

PRS Legislative Research

Difference between CRS and PRS CRS

Establishment

Act of Congress

Funding US tax payersMandate Confidential

research reports for Congress: No public mandate

Scope Does not track Congress

Enabling Does not enable any interest groups.

PRS

Independent research groupGrant fundedMake the legislative process better informed, more transparent and participatory: disseminates information beyond Parliament to the publicTracks Parliament and puts out information on parliament functioning

Provides journalists data with inputs on Parliament and legislation. Conducts workshops for journalists to help them track MPs

PRS Legislative Research

Impact:• PRS is non partisan: Callbacks mirror the numerical

representation in Parliament: – 40% Congress, 30% BJP and 30% others

• Between the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha: – At least 300 MPs from different political parties have

used PRS inputs to prepare for their work in Parliament– Over 200 MPs have been directly briefed by the PRS team

PRS Legislative Research

Congratulations PRS

Legislative Research!