Govt Takes Parliament Assurances Seriously: Rijiju

New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday assured the Rajya Sabha that the government takes all assurances given by the ministers on the floor of both houses of Parliament seriously as it is important for democracy.

Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, he said, "We understand the importance of Parliamentary democracy. If Members of Parliament ask questions and the government responds, then it is utmost important that the assurance should be fulfilled."

"If they (assurances) are not fulfilled, it will be a blot on Parliament democracy," he added.

Rijiju said there is a Parliament rule that the assurances given by the government should be fulfilled within three months and there are procedures for extension also.

"We take seriously all assurances given by the government in Parliament. We can not take them lightly," he said.

The minister said there should not be any laxity in fulfilling the assurances given on the floor of Parliament. "This is our responsibility".

Rijiju said he has recently written letters to all ministers in the government to ensure that the assurances get fulfilled in a time-bound manner.

He said the letters written by MPs should also be answered within one month.

The minister said the Online Assurances Monitoring System (OAMS) has helped in ensuring that the assurances get fulfilled.

L Murugan, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, informed the House that 99 per cent of the assurances have been implemented.

The OAMS, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs with secretariats of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, is a digital platform aimed at ensuring that assurances made by ministers in Parliament are systematically tracked, monitored, and fulfilled, he added.

Murugan said the system enhances accountability, transparency, and efficiency by integrating key features and mechanisms.

The minister said the OAMS provides a single digital repository where all assurances are recorded, ensuring transparency and eliminating the risk of losing track of commitments for timely fulfilment of assurances.

The system sends timely alerts to all stakeholders to act on pending assurances, maintaining adherence to the timeline. Ministries and departments can log progress updates directly into the system, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information for stakeholders, Murugan said.

Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh said one member should ask only one supplementary question during the Question Hour.

To this, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he would "look into this aspect".