CLRA Parliamentary Forums

Parliamentary Forums

Parliamentary Forums can effectively function as an informed action group in the policy making process. As representatives of people and as policy and decision makers overseeing government functions, Parliamentarians are in a unique position to engage with policy making. Theme based Forums provide Parliamentarians, cutting across party lines, a common platform to come together and discuss the different views and concerns and engage with experts and civil society groups and consequently bring convergent knowledge to influence the policy making process. The Forum Secretariat can provide access to adequate information on issues and necessary assistance to carry out important parliamentary functions, which will greatly benefit the Members of Parliament.

Objectives:

	To create a platform for MPs to exchange views and information with civil society groups and experts.
	To provide assistance to Forum Members in raising issues and concerns in the Parliament.

In light of this, CLRA took the initiative to form the Indian Medical Parliamentarians’ Forum (IMPF) and acted as a hosting and implementing organisation of IMPF. CLRA does a facilitative role in ensuring sustained work parameters, day to day functioning, and other responsibilities of the IMPF. The IMPF consists of 22 MPs from both Houses of Parliament who are medical practitioners belonging to both modern and indigenous systems of medicine.

Hon’ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, is the Patron of the IMPF. Hon’ble Members of Parliament Dr. M. Jagannath, Dr. Karan Singh Yadav, and Dr. R. Senthil, are respectively the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Convenor Secretary of IMPF. Mr. Vinod Bhanu performs as the Programme Secretary of the IMPF.

Parliamentarians' Group on TB (PG-TB): This focused group on TB has been formed along the lines of of the UK All Parliamentary Party Group on TB. PG-TB will focus and continue the fight against TB and related issues. Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Hon'ble MoS is the Chairperson of the PG-TB.

The Parliamentarians' Group on the Millennium Development Goals (PG-MDGs) is a unique forum of proactive parliamentarians, who are willing to take up critical issues related to human development within India’s legislative/policy making spaces.

Together, the PG-MDGs is made up of around 20 MPs from both Houses of Parliament. These MPs have joined together from across party lines to raise political awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in India. The forum will be chaired by Supriya Sule, MP. Additionally, two core focus groups are being set up: one will jointly address issues of health and education and the other will consider the new challenges being faced as a result of climate change.

It is now essential for MPs and policy makers to collaborate with civil society on the MDGs. India is still home to nearly a quarter of the world’s poor, one third of the world’s underweight children and millions still do not have access to education, health and secure livelihoods. Together, these MPs have made a pledge to seek to eliminate poverty and social injustice by the 2015 deadline. In years to come, the world will judge India’s accomplishments in relation to these eight critical targets.

The first publication of the PG-MDGs is a Handbook for Parliamentarians on the MDGs in India. This publication details the eight MDG goal areas, existing policy, and suggestions for future direction and strategy. The book suggests that progress against many indicators could be enhanced by a fresh conceptualisation of existing policy. Vertical interventions are not an alternative to a life-cycle approach to health, nutrition, sanitation and education.

The book has received "messages" from both the President and the Prime Minister.