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Mock Parliament by UGI Faculty & Students

Mock Parliament is a simulation of legislative proceedings in a Parliament. In a mock parliament, students play the role of various parliamentarians and discuss a spectrum of issues ranging from political, economic and social problems faced in the country. As Members of Parliament holding important portfolios or as members of the opposition, the students are presented with a platform to develop skills such as debating, critical thinking, technique of group discussion, understanding parliamentary procedure, drafting resolutions, developing opinion and tolerance. The students emerge as youth leaders in trying to understand the burning issues of the country and attempting to find solutions. As Universal Group of Institutions, is a nurturing ground for future bureaucrats, it had organized a Mock Parliament for the first-year students of BA, Bcom and BA LLB under the guidance of Mr. Punith Gowda, UPSC Faculty on 1 April 2021.

The event was inaugurated by Mr. Kaushik H R, a proud alumnus who is currently posted in Thanjavur under the Indian Administrative Service along with Mrs. Pragathi Shetty, the Secretary of the UCC Board. The management and other staff members were also present. The welcome address was given by Mr.Punith, followed by a short speech from Mr. Srujaan K, highlighting the importance of the Mock Parliament and its impact on the youth.

Ms. Magunta Dharani, the protem speaker of the mock parliament looked after the proceedings of the oath-taking ceremony administered by the office staff wherein many students took the oath in their mother tongue highlighting the regional diversity in the campus. Next, the election of the speaker took place and Ms.Sumasri was appointed as the speaker of the house. This was followed by the Question hour which is the first hour of a sitting session of India’s Lok Sabha devoted to questions that Members of Parliament raise about any aspect of administration activity. In this session, various interesting questions were posed to the ruling party members about the Agricultural sector, Defence, India’s bilateral relationship and about recent events such as the removal of Article 370 and the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The ruling party responded swiftly with accurate facts and witty remarks. After this session, the house was adjourned for 15 minutes.

The house met again after the interval to proceed with the Zero hour with Deputy Speaker Mr. Sharanbasava presiding over the session. Zero Hour is an informal device available to the Members of Parliament to raise issues of Urgent Public Importance. The Zero Hour hosted a variety of questions featuring recent controversial events such as the Petroleum Product Tax, Privatisation of banks, renaming of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, and the Three Farm Bills which is creating unrest in the capital. Many students responded and enquired in creative ways.

The event came to an end with the Vote of Thanks being delivered by Manogna Polamuri.

The Mock Parliament was an interactive session for the students and educative as well. As youths are the hope and aspiration for a better future, they need to be taken advantage of to equip the students with necessary civic competence. To fulfill this aim, events such as Mock Parliaments go a long way in shaping students for their role in the country’s democratic institutions.