Key Points

Addressing the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference on the theme 'Dialogue and Discussion in Legislative Institutions: The Foundation of Public Trust, the Medium of Fulfilling People's Aspirations', Gupta said: "Strengthening democracy through transparent evaluation, the National Legislative Index will serve as a benchmark for state legislatures."

He underscored the importance of the NLI as a landmark framework to evaluate legislative performance across India's federal structure.

Gupta emphasised that the NLI provides a transparent, data-driven tool designed to strengthen democratic governance.

He said: "It not only measures the productivity and quality of legislative institutions but also tracks progress and identifies gaps in democratic performance."

By enabling comparisons among state-level legislatures, the Index seeks to encourage healthy competition, foster best practices, and drive meaningful reforms that can make law-making bodies more responsive, accountable, and effective, he said.

The Delhi Speaker highlighted that while India has robust indices for health, education, and economic governance at the state level, there has so far been no systematic mechanism to measure the functioning and effectiveness of state legislatures -- the very institutions at the heart of democracy.

"The NLI seeks to fill this critical gap," he said.

Gupta said that legislative quality directly influences law-making, executive oversight, public accountability, and citizen engagement.

"A legislature that debates constructively, questions effectively, and passes well-researched laws strengthens the foundation of democracy and ensures that governance delivers on people's aspirations," he said.

The Speaker added that the Delhi Legislative Assembly strongly supports initiatives like the NLI, which align with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by ensuring that state legislatures become more responsive, transparent, and people-centric.

Gupta said that launch of the NLI is expected to enhance public confidence in democratic institutions, strengthen parliamentary practices, and inspire state legislatures to adopt global best practices tailored to Indian needs.

- IANS