LAMP Fellowship
Last Date to Apply is January 9, 2022
The Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) Fellowship is a unique and an exciting opportunity for young Indians to learn law-making and public policy. LAMP Fellows are mentored by a Member of Parliament (MP) and work full-time with the assigned MP during a given year, starting from the Monsoon session of Parliament till the end of the Budget session. The primary role of a LAMP Fellow is to provide extensive research support to her/his MP for their parliamentary work. This includes drafting parliamentary questions for the MP, preparing the MP’s speeches for zero hour debates, raising matters of public importance, drafting private members’ bills etc.
When Parliament is not in session, LAMP Fellows engage with policy makers, experts from various think-tanks, academicians from several leading universities, and leaders from diverse public policy institutions through participation in workshops on important policy and development issues. LAMP Fellows also participate in field visits during the inter-session period for a practical exposure to governance at the ground level.
Role of a LAMP
LAMP Fellowship provides an opportunity to be mentored by a Member of Parliament for a period of 10-11 months, subject to the Parliamentary calendar. During the course of the Fellowship, the Fellows will get the opportunity to engage with experts from diverse sectors and understand important policy and development issues of the country.
The Fellow’s primary task involves providing research support to the Member of Parliament (MP) that she/he is assigned to. A significant amount of the research a LAMP Fellow will undertake will be Parliament related, such as inputs for bills, parliamentary questions, policy discussions and standing committee meetings. LAMP Fellows are also required to provide background research for the conferences and media events MPs attend in their official capacity. While some MPs may delegate constituency-related work to their LAMP Fellows, taking up such work (including visits to the constituency) is subject to the agreement between the MP and the LAMP Fellow.
LAMP Fellows research topics as diverse as defence, food security, environment, economics and foreign affairs. Research tasks may include
- Legislative research
- Data Analysis
- Framing parliamentary questions
- Background research parliamentary debates
- Research for Standing Committee meetings
- Drafting Private Member Bills
- Media-related work including drafting press releases, preparing interventions for TV appearances
- Research for constituency-related issues
- Interacting with stakeholders
LAMP Fellows rarely have a “typical” work day. Requests for research may have varying deadlines – ranging from thirty minutes to a couple of days, depending on the specifications of the MP. When Parliament is in session, the workload is likely to be heavier than the time period between sessions.
Eligibility
PRS seeks to engage with highly-motivated, bright young people for the LAMP Fellowship.
- LAMP Fellowship is open to candidates who are 25 years of age or below
- Candidate must have at least a Bachelor’s degree in any academic discipline.
- Only Indian citizens are eligible for the LAMP Fellowship.
Stipend
LAMP Fellows receive a stipend of Rs. 20,000 per month during the course of the Fellowship.
