Lucknow: Ahead of the monsoon session of the UP Assembly beginning Aug 3, the state govt has raised concerns over the quality of information being supplied by district authorities for replies to questions asked by MLAs and MLCs.In a communication sent to all district magistrates and divisional commissioners on July 25, principal secretary (parliamentary affairs) JP Singh said it was noticed that the “factuality” and “quality” of information being furnished by district authorities were not in line with govt directives.The department specifically referred to a 1998 order requiring the district magistrates to personally verify and endorse information with their signatures before it is forwarded for legislative replies.The directive assumes significance as the Yogi Adityanath govt braces for a combative monsoon session, during which the opposition is expected to aggressively question ministers on governance and implementation issues.During the Budget session in Feb, Samajwadi Party MLA Ragini Sonkar questioned industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ over the status of investment proposals announced during the Global Investors Summit, asking why only about 9% of the signed MoUs appeared to have translated into projects on the ground.She also sought details on progress under the defence corridor project in districts such as Jhansi, Chitrakoot and Aligarh.Instead of giving a direct statistical response, the minister read out portions of her question and made remarks about her social media activity, triggering a strong protest from the opposition and disruption in the House.In another instance, SP MLA Atul Pradhan challenged energy minister AK Sharma over the state’s free electricity scheme for agricultural consumers. Pradhan alleged that around five lakh eligible farmers had been excluded from the beneficiary list over the past two years.Sharma rejected the allegation, saying the farmers concerned had not applied for the scheme. Dissatisfied with the reply, Pradhan termed the minister’s statement “false”, while senior SP functionary Shivpal Singh Yadav joined the protest, accusing the minister of misleading the House.Officials in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat said questions raised by legislators form one of the legislature’s key accountability mechanisms.Ministers largely depend on information supplied by district administrations and departmental officials while preparing their replies.“If the information provided is incomplete, inaccurate or delayed, ministers risk giving unsatisfactory responses, leaving the govt vulnerable to criticism from the opposition,” an official said.
