In a large room on the second floor of the posh-looking Constitution Club, a stone’s throw from Parliament, 15 just-out-of-college youngsters in their early twenties quietly work on their computers and laptops through the day, trying to get a first-hand sense of India’s legislative and public policy procedures. Often, they spend hours struggling with information sources to extract exactly the bits they want, or rather what they have been asked to furnish by the MPs they are working for. Who are these people? They are the new-age interns of India, doing a 10-month-long political internship as ‘legislative assistants’ or LAs to 15 Members of Parliament. The programme, called Legislative Assistants for Members of Parliament (LAMPs), is a pilot project undertaken jointly by PRS Legislative Research,a unit of Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, and the Constitution Club, the exclusive club for serving and former MPs. It has been modelled on the lines of political internships in countries like the US and UK. The programme hit the ground as the Parliament’s monsoon session commenced. In lieu of their services, LAs will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 12,000, which might be deemed low considering their qualifications, but then, who’s in it for money? It’s all for the experience and the boost their CVs will receive.

?The work is challenging, yet very interesting. We look at the business list of the House and prepare supplementary questions on the listed business for our MPs. We also do exhaustive research if the MP wants a detailed brief on any particular issue. We also have to keep a keen eye on what bills and discussions are coming up in the next few days, to be ready with as much support material as possible for the MPs,? says 21-year-old Hema Narang, LA to Congress MP from north-east Delhi, JP Agarwal. And, what attracted her to this programme over a sought-after Masters degree? ?I couldn?t find an option as good and interesting as this one. I got through Masters both in Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. However, once I got selected for this programme, I just couldn’t let go of the opportunity. I can pursue a Masters degree later,? says Hema, who recently graduated from Delhi’s Lady Sri Ram College with an honours in political science.

For Pushparaj Deshpande, who holds a Masters degree from Oxford, this was too irresistible an opportunity to be allowed to pass by, even though it’s merely a pilot project. ?It feels like being at the hub of policy making in India. In future, I would like to be either involved in policy making or in politics. Therefore, this programme gives me the opportunity to observe the procedures very closely. It is about being at the right place at the right time. In spite of it being a pilot project, I did not think twice and just grabbed the opportunity that came my way,? he says.

A regular day at work for the LAs starts with a quick meeting with their respective MPs, when they get the brief for the day. They then head to the Constitution Club for research work or meet experts in various fields for their research. At times, the LA has to hop from the MP’s residence to the Constitution Club and then to his office and at times even the Parliament, as they need to be on standby and ready with their information to brief the MP whenever required. At times, they are asked to dish out specific and detailed information in a matter of minutes. ?Once I got a call from my MP, who wanted specific data on some issue and I had to furnish it in just 20 minutes. I had in front of me a huge chunk of data that I couldn?t make sense of, but I was able to pull it off somehow and ended up providing something of value,? says Uthara Ganesh, LA to BJD MP Kalikesh Singh Deo, who is also the programme convener for LAMPs.

The story of how this programme took shape is interesting. Kalikesh Singh Deo visited Washington DC last year. As he went to meet senator John Kerry, he saw how a number of LAs in Kerry’s office ensured smooth and swift operations. ?I was fascinated with the way LAs took charge of things there. I thought why don’t we have such a system. Upon returning, I, along with Jayant Chaudhary and Anurag Singh Thakur, rolled out a small programme where we invited applications from college students and then selected a few of them to assist us,? says Deo. It is interesting to note here that in the US, each Congressman has 16-18 legislative assistants for specific research, while in India, such a work culture for MPs is non-existent.

Meanwhile, PRS had conducted a couple of small pilots in 2007-08 involving two-three MPs. Now, the idea is to scale it up. ?It was important to have an institution with required expertise that could look into the daily activities of the programme and that’s where PRS comes in. We then partnered with the Constitution Club to base the programme out of their premises. And here we are,? says Deo. Other MPs in the programme include the likes of Milind Deora, Prakash Javadekar, Sanjay Nirupam and NK Singh.

The response to the programme is being described as ‘extremely encouraging’. ?There is a lot of excitement about this programme among the MPs and there seem to be a lot more takers than the 15 MPs who are a part of this pilot. The outcome and the response to LAMPs has been tremendous and the MPs involved are really enthused,? says Rajiv Pratap Singh Rudy, BJP MP and secretary-administration, Constitutional Club, who played an important role in setting the ball rolling. Although the Parliament has a section for research back-up for MPs in place since a few years, most MPs dismiss it as inefficient. Rudy describes it as ?merely a photocopy section with very little or no inputs coming from the research assistants?.

But the MPs seem content with LAMPs. ?My working relationship with my LA is excellent. She is a great help in political feedback, research material on subjects, supplementary questions and feedback on debates and discussions. It is very satisfactory and the programme has been a great source of support. I will surely sign up for it in future too,? says Congress? JP Agarwal. And although they are on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, BJP MP and spokesperson Prakash Javadekar shares the sentiment. ?I am really happy with my LA. It was the need of the hour and I am glad PRS and Constitution Club made an effort to this end. In fact, on the recent issue of salary hikes for MPs, I feel this point went amiss that as MPs we need good research teams and that costs money. If the government provides LAs to all MPs, it would be a great help,? he says. Javadekar goes a step further and says he would love to have two-three more LAs to assist him in his work. However, Congress MP from Mumbai Sanjay Nirupam, while believing that the programme is ?a good beginning and a good initiative to help MPs and to have the youth interacting with politics?, is a little sceptical. ?They have just started and I feel they need to enhance their research skills a little. No doubt we need proper research and LAs would be a help in that regard, but I am sceptical about the sustainability of this programme. For how long will they continue working without any expectations? Six months? One year? They would leave after that,? he says.

Those involved with the programme firmly believe that it has a multi-pronged approach and benefits not only the politicians, but also the LAs a great deal. This is quite evident from the fact that PRS received 500 applications for 15 LA positions. ?There are very few opportunities in our country for young people to get involved with political, as well as public policy processes. Unless someone comes from a political family or is a student leader, the middle class youth don’t really have any avenues. We believe that it is dangerous for a democracy if its middle class stays alienated. This programme is a step towards attracting that participation,? says MR Madhavan, head of research, PRS Legislative Research. Deo concurs, ?It is important for these bright youngsters to see for themselves what goes into policy making and its nuances. This is a fine way of involving youngsters in our polity, actively or passively. Had I still been a student, I would have loved to be associated with such a programme.?

The LAs, too, wear their job proudly on their sleeves. Coming from some of the most respected institutions across the country and internationally, they seem excited by the fact that they are among the chosen few for the project. They interact closely with their MPs and have direct access to them. ?I am really thrilled. I consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of this programme and I certainly take great pride in what I am doing when I talk to my peers about it,? says Uthara.

With the programme receiving quite some response, PRS is eager to expand LAMPs in the years to come. ?Our hope is that we will learn whatever needs to be adjusted for the programme to have a real impact. We would scale up the programme and next year hope to have more MPs signing up for LAs, as we have got enquiries from many of them,? says Madhavan.

So by the time the Parliament’s Budget session ends next year, most of these LAs would get back to pursuing higher studies, albeit with ten months of valuable experience of having a brush with India’s democracy and public policy in the highest possible echelons.

LA to B Mahtab of BJD

I was not really enjoying being part of the corporate hustle bustle. I didn?t have any apprehensions whatsoever while deciding to quit my job for this programme. You can?t attach a monetary value to it, as here we are getting a bird?s eye view of how policy making functions in our democratic system. It has further whetted my appetite for public policy. During my previous job, when I used to wake up in the morning, I never felt like going to work. But here, everyday, I am eager to come and work.

As it is a pilot project, we have to work doubly hard. We know all eyes are on us and the work is detailed and nuanced. Being thorough is one thing that we have learnt here. You just don?t want your MP stating something factually incorrect in the House. After this programme, if I get a chance to work in the policy circle in Delhi, I?ll take it up. Otherwise, I want to move to China to see for myself and understand how their politics and policy making functions.

LA to Jayant Chaudhury of RLD

I got to know about this programme from my department head while I was completing my Masters at Oxford.

The job has been challenging no doubt. But what helped was the fact that it is mainly research based and fairly academic, so the transition was not all that difficult.

In the initial days, it was a little difficult to get easy access to the MPs, as we had to get through their staff. Of course, being compatible with the MP and his staff takes some time. More so, I feel getting compatible with the staff is also very important to make sure that our work is fruitful and well-coordinated.

Early on, those from the MP?s staff used to ask, ?What is your work like? How will you help the MP? Are you going to be a permanent employee here?? Maybe they felt a little threatened initially, but now everything is great.

LA to Kalikesh S Deo of BJD

I always knew I wanted to work in the social development sector. I was very passionate about it and I saw this programme as the perfect opportunity.

I want to study public policy for post-graduation and I want to clearly understand how policy really and actually works on the ground. It has been just a few weeks in this programme, and I feel I have learnt quite a bit already. When I was graduating from college, all my friends had their plans set, while I hadn?t even applied to any Masters course. I wanted to use these ten months to narrow down and identify the specific areas of interest for my further studies.

The work is very satisfying, but at times one feels, ?Am I doing enough? Am I being able to deliver what is expected out of me?? But then I just keep reinforcing to myself that it has just started and everyone, including my MP, understands that.

LA to Naresh Gujral of SAD

As a law student, I was really interested in learning the way the legislative process really works. This was an amazing opportunity to see how things start and how the process rolls on the ground. And this is the same process that I would be working on for the rest of my career as a lawyer, therefore, I had no apprehensions while getting into this programme. Plus, I thought it would act as a guide to what should be my area of specialisation in law.

It has been a very hectic few weeks, but when you see your inputs in parliamentary debates, questions, bills, etc, nothing can beat the sense of accomplishment. At times, the requests get very detailed and specific and those are challenging times. But we receive constant support and help from PRS and also have direct access to the MPs to clear any doubts we might have with regard to work. PRS also helps in providing sources for our research work, which helps as a stepping stone to getting our work done.

o JP Agarwal of INC

The training for the programme, as well as the work here, has been really eye-opening, as it was far from the mundane textbook knowledge we get in school and college about the way Parliament functions.

The work is smooth mostly, but occasionally it gets hectic, especially when we have extremely short deadlines to dish out research on a particular bill or issue. Research in itself mostly is not the problem, as we have learnt to be quick with our resources. Moreover, keeping a tab on the bills and issues expected to be taken up in the Parliament is a great help.

Overall, I feel quite enlightened. And there is definitely a sense of personal pride and achievement that comes by being associated with this programme. I?m sure that as the next session comes up, we will have a lot more work and learn many new things. I?m really looking forward to it.