PARAGRAPHMENTARY FORUMS
The Parliamentary Forums have been constituted with the objective of equipping members with information and knowledge on specific issues of national concern and in assisting them to adopt a result-oriented approach towards related issues. The first Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management was constituted in the year 2005. Subsequently, seven more Parliamentary forums were constituted.
OBJECTIVES OF THE FORUMS-
To provide a platform to the members for interaction and discussion with the ministers concerned, experts and key officials from the nodal ministries on critical issues with a result-oriented approach for speeding up the implementation process.
To sensitize the members about the key areas of concern.
To prepare a data base on critical issues coming under the ambit of each parliamentary forum so that they can meaningfully participate in the discussions held in the meeting of the forums.
COMPOSITION OF THE FORUMS-
The Speaker of Lok Sabha is the ex-officio President of all the Forums except the Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health.
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha is the ex-officio President and the Speaker is the ex-officio Co-President.
The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, the concerned Ministers and the Chairmen of Departmentally-Related Standing Committees are the ex-officio Vice Presidents of the respective Forums.
Each Forum consists of not more than 31 members (excluding the President, Co-President and Vice-Presidents) out of whom not more than 21 are from the Lok Sabha and not more than 10 are from the Rajya Sabha.
Members of these forums are nominated by the Speaker/Chairman.
The duration of the office of members of the forum is co-terminus with their membership in the respective Houses.
A member may also resign from the forum by writing to the Speaker/Chairman
Note-
The President of the forum appoints a member-convener for each forum to conduct regular, approved programmes/meetings of the forum in consultation with the President.
At present, there are eight Parliamentary forums-
1. Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management (2005)
2. Parliamentary Forum on Youth (2006)
3. Parliamentary Forum on Children (2006)
4. Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health (2006)
5. Parliamentary Forum on Global Warming and Climate Change (2008)
6. Parliamentary Forum on Disaster Management (2011)
7. Parliamentary Forum on Artisans and Crafts-people (2013)
8. Parliamentary Forum on Millennium Development Goals (2013)
