Parliament Question: Acknowledgement Letter to Members of Parliament

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.634 (ANSWERED ON 22.07.2026) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT LETTER TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT #634. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN: Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state: (a) whether most Central Ministries do not even send an acknowledgement of receipt of letters received from Members of Parliament relating to their Parliamentary Constituencies and matters of public interest and even in most cases no meaningful reply is received; (b) if so, whether the Government considers this to be against the dignity of Parliament and constitutional role of elected representatives; (c) the number of Ministries/Departments presently complying with the provisions of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on 12 January, 2026 providing for sending an acknowledgement within 15 days and a reply within the next 15 days and the mechanism put in place to monitor such compliance; and (d) the details of concrete steps proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure accountability of the Ministries/Departments for violating the prescribed timelines for responding to the letters of Members of Parliament? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH) (a) to (d): The Government has issued detailed guidelines for observance of proper procedure and protocol in official dealings between Administration and Members of Parliament(MP) and State Legislatures(SL) including that of acknowledgement letter to MPs, to all Ministries/ Department and State Governments/ Union Territories . Para 4(vii) of DoPT’s OM dated 12.1.2026 states “Each communication received from the Member of Parliament, a member of the public, a recognized association or a public body will be acknowledged within 15 days, followed by a reply within the next 15 days of acknowledgement sent.” These guidelines have been reiterated from time to time to sensitize all State Government officials at the State/Division/District levels, with regard to their duties and obligations in relation to dealing with Hon’ble Members. Page 1 of 2However, any complaints received from Members of Parliament regarding non- compliance of protocol through Lok Sabha Secretariat and Rajya Sabha Secretariat are examined and factual reports are sought from concerned authorities/ State Governments. After due approval, these reports are sent to Lok Sabha/ Rajya Sabha Secretariat. ******* Page 2 of 2