Parliament’s work is the focus of national attention. The Union Budget gets wall-to-wall coverage, and laws passed by our national legislature are scrutinised intensely. The pageantry associated with Parliament and its proximity to the national media have crowded out developments in state legislative institutions.
But it is in the states, where the rubber meets the road — or if you prefer, the avocado meets the toast. States together spend about 1.5 times as much as the Union government, and their combined debt accounts for 27.5 per cent of the national gross domestic product. State legislatures also pass laws on subjects such as law and order, education, health, agriculture and local governance.
Each of the 28 states and three Union Territories has a state legislature. These are islands of democracy that make laws and pass Budgets for people and businesses in a state. For example, it was the states that took the lead in bringing different government approvals for businesses under a 7single-window mechanism and banning online gaming.