Politics and sports, no lets be specific, cricket, are the hottest topics in our quotidian lives. Youth have so far stayed away from politics and seem to have embraced the sports (Our last week’s cover story, ‘The big games beckon’ is proof of this). Over the years, many people have attempted, with scant success though, to persuade youngsters to embrace politics — the tag line being politics is no longer murky and the home ground of the experienced. They also have evidences — Food King CEO and former MP candidate, Sarath Babu, Chennai, Agatha Sangma, the youngest minister of state in the present cabinet, Sachin Pilot of INC, Varun Gandhi of BJP and Milind Deora. In the last Lok Sabha election, only nine candidates were from India’s youth brigade — an alarming scenario as they form half of India’s population. How can we expect a Parliament of ‘elders’ to legislate policies that are conducive to the youth? All the more reason for more young MPs.
The stumbling block usually is that youngsters who are interested in making a career out of politics are often clueless as where to begin. Hoping to give a decent start in the right direction to these individuals is PRS Legislative Research. Found in 2005 by CV Madhukar, it is an independent research initiative that seeks to help our MPs. PRS, which is a part of Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, started with a grant from Ford foundation and is now supported by Google. Talks are on to find regional investors as well.
Join LAMP
A nation-wide hunt is held every year to zero-in on the right candidates. Applications for the third cohort available at www.lamp.prsindia.org/thefellowship. Online application is followed by a personal interview in New Delhi. There is no application fee. The interview committee comprises three-four people from PRS, a current LAMP fellow and a policy expert and they will test your knowledge of Indian politics and aptitude. “The fellowship was not conceived to be judgmental of your political knowledge and we are only keen on reviewing your motivational factors and the value you bring in,” clarifies Madhukar, adding that a candidate’s background also matters little. Last date to apply is February 26 and selected candidates will be notified in March/April. There is an intensive one-month internship period where experts will get you up to speed with the basics of the fellowship. The new batch will begin in June. You will be paid a monthly stipend of Rs 18,000 to cover living expenses.
Fellowship programme
From 2010, it has been running a fellowship programme called Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP). For 11 months, the fellows offer MPs research support to perform their legislative and administration functions. “India is a young nation with more than 50 per cent of the population under 25. There are no formal platforms for youth to engage in policy and political processes. However, increasingly, youth are isolated from the political system. To promote and sustain the democratic traditions of our country, it is important to engage youth in the democratic process,” says Madhukar, who worked with Azim Premji Foundation and World Bank. “The LAMP Fellowship hopes to provide not only invaluable exposure for young people but also to encourage the best and the brightest to get involved in public service.”
One would be inclined to assume that MPs would be inaccessible. Clearly, that’s not the case since more than 300 MPs rely on these interns’ inputs for policy clarity and legislation.
Bridging the gap
Our Parliament passes an average of 60 bills a year on complex issues across sectors. The diversity of issues makes it impossible for any MP to be well versed with each of these problems. In this context, the MPs require regular professional research inputs. Unlike the USA, our MPs do not receive any research support to undertake parliamentary duties. “The LAMP fellowship seeks to address this institutional gap and provides a unique platform for young people to understand politics,” says a proud Madhukar.
Parliamentary assistance
In a nutshell, LAMP fellows support their MPs in parliamentary duties. This includes assistance in preparing for legislative and policy debates on the floor, providing research inputs for Parliamentary questions, assessing performance of ministries, raising matters of public importance (through Special Mentions or 377s) and writing speeches. LAMP fellows also help draft private members’ bills and presentations for standing committee meetings. The first batch of LAMP had 12 fellows and it increased to 46 in the second year.
Working with MPs
The fellowship has attracted people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Some of them have made personal sacrifices like 24-year-old Siddharth Goel, who didn’t bat an eyelid when he had to quit his high-flying job with Business Monitor International, a global research firm and return to India. Goel now assists NK Singh, Rajya Sabha MP of Janata Dal-United. The alumnus of Singapore Management University, Singapore, was alerted about LAMP by a friend, who was aware of his overwhelming interest in politics. “My interest in politics started at an early age and stemmed from having witnessed passionate discussions at home between my father and uncles on major political issues,” says Goel, who studied democracy and plural perspectives on political issues during his bachelor’s in economics and finance.
Another LAMP fellow, Delhi-based Svetha Venkatram, right from childhood had a mammoth interest in politics and community service. She was evaluating a micro-finance project in Bangladesh, when this opportunity came up. Prior to LAMP, the 24-year-old worked with an NGO on women’s health rights. Just like Goel, this alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi, didn’t have second thoughts. She is assisting P Rajeeve (CPM), who represents Kerala in the Rajya Sabha. “This fellowship seemed like a perfect opportunity to understand the legislative debates that shape welfare policies in India’s current economic climate. During my interview, mostly I drew replies from my past work,” she says of her interview, which according to her was a cakewalk.
Goel recounts his LAMP interview: “Amusingly, the first question I was asked was why I would want to leave a lucrative corporate job in Singapore to take up a relatively lower-paying government job in India. Though my earlier job was financially rewarding, helping formulate national-level policies, which affect over a billion people was indeed worth pursuing. I had read extensively on the Lokpal Bill and was questioned on the pros and cons of the very same bill in the interview.”
Closer to reality
The fellowship has helped Goel realise that his future revolved around energy policy. “While I had a broad understanding of the different issues in the energy sector, the LAMP fellowship has awakened me to the possibility of combining different areas of interest such as policy-making and energy security,” says Goel. “Prior to the fellowship, applying to think-tanks and ministries seemed far-fetched. However, having interacted with numerous policy-makers and researchers through the course of the fellowship, such opportunities are now a reality.”
The fellowship has earned appreciation from all quarters and the official website of PRS quotes NK Singh’s experience as, “There is an absence of independent advisory support that MPs should have. I have been greatly enriched by the support of the LAMP fellow (Goel).” Venkatram claims that the fellowship has left her with a deep appreciation for democracy and a much better understanding of how the Indian political system functions. “To be able to contribute to policy debates at the national-level at this age feels too good to be true. The fellowship has made me read extensively on issues and develop a considered opinion rather than jump to conclusions like I used to do before,” she elaborates further.
Mind-blogging work
The Lokpal Bill controversy has brought corruption, particularly our MPs’ conduct, under the microscope. The general perception is that MPs are corrupt and selfish. Goel, though, begs to differ. “I feel our MPs are quite misunderstood by the public. From what I have understood, the amount of work that goes into preparing for each day at the Parliament is staggering. Extensive research is conducted on every legislation regardless of whether it is discussed or not, in the House. This is in addition to raising questions and matters of urgent public importance too,” he explains.
The research you would provide for an MP is customised, based on his interests. LAMPs have anything but a typical day. Goel’s day starts at 10am, when he preps his MP before he leaves for Parliament. The parliament usually adjourns at 5pm. After returning to office, they go over the day’s activities and prepare submissions for the next day. When Parliament is in session, things are very intense and exciting. During the inter-session period, the LAMPs, get time to indulge in other activities like sports, languages, etc. Additionally, the fellows are encouraged to contact speakers for talks/seminars on varied subjects. But nothing ever comes close to the excitement of watching a Parliament session live, both claim
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