STORY OF PARLIAMENTARY REPORTING
A familiar scene in the two Houses of Parliament is that of quietly dressed persons heading for the central table at a brisk pace—but with a careful and correct bearing—taking their seats, scribbling in their note-books for a while and then making an exit as quick and unobtrusive as their entry.
But not many people know who are these men and women apparently always in a hurry and what is the purpose of these frequent short trips.
They are the Parliamentary Reporters engaged in the momentous task of preparing a complete and authoritative record of what transpires in the highest deliberative and legislative body of the country.
REPORTING : A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT
The Rules of Procedure require that the Secretary-General has to arrange for the preparation of a full report of the proceedings of each sitting of the House. Accordingly, everything said in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha—every question, remark and speech—is meticulously recorded by the Parliamentary Reporters, who represent the acme of the shorthand-writing profession. However, certain words or expressions, which are specifically expunged or ordered not to be recorded by the Speaker or the Presiding Officer, do not form part of the record.
The entire proceedings of the day’s sitting, comprising a couple of hundred pages, have to be edited, compiled and made available by the next morning. This remarkable feat is accomplished to perfection by a combination of professional skill of the highest order and excellent team-work aided by modern technology.
ORIGIN OF REPORTING
The mode of Parliamentary reporting has undergone various changes before it reached its present verbatim form. In early days, namely from 1777 to 1835, when the Legislature functioned as a part of the Executive, the proceedings in the then Council of the Governor-General of India exclusively dealing with matters of law, were recorded in the Revenue Department of the East India Company. In 1835 the proceedings concerning the legislative business began to be recorded separately in the form of minutes, which indicated only the title of the legislation considered by the Council. However, from 1860 the Official Gazette of the Government of India contained brief references to the legislative business transacted in the Council.
When the proceedings of the then Legislative Council were thrown open to the outsiders in 1854, a decision was taken to release an authentic report of its proceedings for publication. It is obvious that the Secretary to the Council, who was charged with the responsibility for the preparation of the report, would have found it difficult, without the aid of shorthand-writers, to keep pace with the continuous flow of oratory of Members. Apart from the abstracts of the proceedings being published, portions of the proceedings began to appear in direct speech, although in a summarized form from 16 March, 1864.
ENTRY OF REPORTER
The Rule pertaining to the preparation of the proceedings was amended in 1897 to provide for the preparation of a full report of the proceedings instead of mere abstracts. The responsibility for the preparation of the report cast on the Secretary till then was thus transferred to the high speed shorthand-writers or Reporters. Consequently, the abstracts were discontinued and verbatim reports were issued and also published in the Gazette. The individual style of Members was then reflected in the proceedings, which gave a foretaste of the authenticity and vitality of the modern verbatim report. The right to ask questions, conceded in 1892, added to the liveliness and readability of the reports. In 1920 as the first bicameral legislature under the Government of India Act of 1919 was in the offing, the question of publication of its proceedings in separate book form was examined. It was considered that the proceedings of a popular Legislature would be in greater demand and it was, therefore, decided to publish them in book form for sale to the public. Simultaneously, it was also decided to change the title from ‘Proceedings’ to ‘Debates’. Today, the Official Report of the House of the People is issued under the title "Lok Sabha Debates".
THE JOB & ITS REQUIREMENTS
Reporting in the Parliament is a highly specialized knowledge-intensive job carried out under great pressure, completed within a fixed time-frame and continued for long hours without a break. The twin tasks of reporting, namely writing shorthand at high speed and transcription of shorthand notes, demand the utmost concentration and intellectual effort. Needless to say, physical stamina, mental alertness and quick reflexes are the essential attributes of a Reporter’s job, without which he cannot deal witth situations like the one which usually prevails in the House immediately after the end of the Question Hour. A statistical analysis has revealed that a majority of the Members of the Lok Sabha speak at speeds ranging between 120 and 150 words per minute, some of them go up to 180 words per minute and a few reach the speed of 180 to 200 words per minute. Reporters must, therefore, possess a speed of 180-200 words per minute in shorthand along with a comprehensive grasp of the language and an encyclopaedic general knowledge, so that they can perform their duties with confidence.
REPORTERS AT WORK
Reporters record the proceedings of the House singly in turns of five minutes each. This cycle continues from the commencement to the adjournment of the House for the day. Since the floor language is generally either English or Hindi, an English Reporter and a Hindi Reporter are always on duty in the House for taking down its proceedings. However, if a Member speaks in a regional language, an English translation of the speech or observations is incorporated in the Official Report. The Question Hour is one of the most interesting features of the business conducted by the Parliament, but recording the proceedings of the Question Hour tests the competence of even the most experienced Reporter. Questions relate to a wide variety of subjects and their range and scope have virtually no bounds. Supplementary Questions are asked from different parts of the House and answers given in quick succession. Reporters have not only to correctly identify the Members asking the Questions and the Ministers giving the answers, but also to record every word of what is said, including the often rapidly-quoted figures, names and unfamiliar technical words. Nevertheless, the Reporters always rise to the occasion and manage to produce zeroerror ranscripts. After taking the turn in the House, each Reporter goes through his shorthand notes and, if considered necessary, checks them with the tape-recorded version so as to ensure a faithful reproduction of the proceedings. English and Hindi Reporters work in perfect unison and invariably settle the exact sequence in which their respective portions are to be dovetailed before they begin the transcription of their shorthand notes.
COMPILATION OF OFFICIAL REPORT
Until early 1990s the Reporters used to transcribe the proceedings on stencils from which copies were made through cyclostyling. The Monsoon Session of 1993 was marked by the installation of computers in the Reporters Branch. Since then the entire process of transcription and compilation of the proceedings has been fully computerized, and the proceedings are also placed on the official website of Parliament of India (http://parliamentofindia.nic.in) The preparation of the Official Report is a complex operation demanding both precision and speed. As soon as Reporters complete their transcription, they pass on the draft print-outs to the Chief Parliamentary Reporter. The latter, with the assistance of Supervisory Senior Parliamentary Reporters, carefully scrutinizes the transcripts, checks their continuity, verifies the texts as well as the disposal of Motions, Clauses and Amendments etc., carries out necessary editing and corrections and makes sure that every segment of the proceedings is in conformity with the prescribed forms and procedures. This elaborate exercise in ‘quality control’ is aimed at making the Official Report absolutely flawless. When all transcripts have been examined and finally approved, they are amalgamated and page-numbered to form an unabridged, continuous and factual chronicle of the proceedings of the day’s sitting. This compilation, together with contents pages, is then despatched for multigraphing and distribution. Copies of multigraphed Debates are made available to various Branches of the Lok Sabha Secretariat as also the concerned Ministries for reference. A few copies are also placed in the Library for the convenience of the Members. The transcript of every speech delivered, question asked and interruption made by a Member is sent to him for confirmation or correction of inaccuracies, if any.
VERBATIM REPORT : AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT
The Verbatim reports of the proceedings of the Parliament are not a mere narration of Questions, Adjournment Motions, Bills and Resolutions, etc. As a matter of fact, they are a rich source of contemporary history. They provide detailed information on all matters touching the life of a citizen. They bring to light the political, economic and social conditions of even the remotest parts of the country. Besides, they serve as a mirror of the hopes and aspirations, concerns and apprehensions of the nation as voiced by its chosen representatives.
The verbatim report entitled "Lok Sabha Debates" is issued in two parts : Part I contains Questions and Answers and Part II contains the rest of the proceedings. The printed version is available about two months after the date of the sitting. Its copies can be had from the Sales Section of the Lok Sabha Secretariat or from the authorized agents for Government publications on payment.