Sikkim backs Delhi’s National Legislative Index initiative to strengthen State legislatures’ performance
New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): The Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), has extended strong support to the proposed National Legislative Index (NLI), an initiative aimed at benchmarking the performance of State Legislatures across India.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Vijender Gupta, the Chief Minister appreciated the vision behind the initiative and congratulated the Delhi Legislative Assembly for taking a forward-looking step towards strengthening legislative institutions.
According to the release, the National Legislative Index (NLI) is a structured, comparative framework for assessing legislative performance across states on parameters such as sittings, working hours, debate productivity, and committee effectiveness, thereby promoting transparency, self-assessment, the adoption of best practices, and healthy competition among legislatures.
CM Tamang noted that the idea of benchmarking legislatures on parameters such as productivity, transparency, and innovation is both timely and necessary. He emphasised that in order to remain responsive and future-ready, legislative bodies must increasingly adopt data-driven approaches.
Expressing Sikkim's commitment, the Chief Minister conveyed that the State is keen to actively participate in the development of the National Legislative Index and contribute to its framework. He further highlighted that the initiative would promote healthy competition, innovation, and greater public accountability among State Legislatures.
Tamang also underscored that the proposed index would serve as a valuable tool for identifying gaps and enhancing legislative functioning across the country. He reiterated Sikkim's willingness to adopt best practices emerging from the framework to further strengthen democratic institutions.
Commending the efforts of Vijender Gupta in advancing this initiative, the Chief Minister extended his best wishes for its continued success and expressed confidence that it would significantly contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of legislative governance in India. (ANI)
