HOW DATA CAN EMPOWER MP'S
1.Introduction
India’s parliamentary constituencies (PCs) serve a dual role as geographical and administrative policy units headed by democratically elected Members of Parliament (MPs), who are responsible for fulfilling the needs and aspirations of their constituents through impactful policy.
For MPs to effectively engage with their constituents, it is imperative to understand and prioritise the issues most impacting their communities.
Unfortunately, at present, timely and readily available data on critical issues related to population health and socioeconomic well-being is lacking at the PC level
2.National data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDAP)
- Large volumes and different types of data, including some of the scientific and technical relevance are generated and compiled by various arms of the Government of India and various State Governments for meeting their specific requirements
- Scientific organizations generate data and develop scientific databases deploying huge public funds
- With the launch of the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDAP) in 2012, the Government of India (GOI) made a concerted effort to make a variety of data related to population health and well-being from current GOI schemes more accessible
- In recent years, district-level data whether from GOI administrative data or independent surveys such as the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) has emerged as a key input for policy deliberations.
- Increasing the availability of district-level data, or data that allows aggregation at the district level does not help the cause of the PC having the same data
- This is because the 750-plus district boundaries of India do not correspond or are aligned in a straightforward manner with the 543 PCs of India
- A district can have parts of or an entirety of multiple PCs intersecting it
- Similarly, a PC can have parts of a district or a multiplicity of entire districts intersecting it
- With districts having the administrative responsibilities for customising and implementing GOI programmes, the MP would need to interact with district collectors (DC) from three districts to implement their promises towards their constituents
3.Governance
- With data-based monitoring and governance of populations becoming central to identifying priorities
- it is critical that MPs are empowered with appropriate data that relates to the populations they have been elected to serve and are able to effectively liaise with multiple district administrations in a manner that allows them to function effectively, efficiently, and independently without having to solely rely on the district administration which is not in a position to provide accurate data on the PC
- Recognising this need for better synergy between district administration and elected representatives, the Ministry of Rural Development issued an order in 2016 to all states and Union Territories
- The order is to constitute a District Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDMC), chaired by district MPs and charged with making implementation and monitoring of central schemes more efficient
- Andhra Pradesh, which was due for reconstituting (increasing) the 13 districts since its separation from Telangana in 2014 decided to use the number and geometry of 25 of its 26 PCs to also create districts. Thus, in Andhra Pradesh going forward, except for Araku PC, its districts and PCs are the same
4.Way Forward
Timely and accessible data at the PC-level can transform the work of MPs by bringing to light the most critical issues and at-risk populations in need of targeted interventions
It can also empower MPs to raise policy questions at multiple levels of governments, from the floor of Parliament to their frequent interactions with the district administrations
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For Mains:
1.Data can empower MPs to serve people better. Discuss (250 words)
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