"There are hardly four to five experts available in Gujarat, whose services are often requisitioned by the State Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Department for framing/drafting new legislations. Even these experts will not be available in the next five years or so, for their age,” Bhatt said on Monday.

He addressed an international training programme organised for officials engaged in legislative work.

Apart from senior officials of the Parliament and Legislative Assembly Secretariats from India, representatives from as many as 29 Afro-Asian and Russian countries covered under the Colombo Plan and Scope are participating in the training programme being organised by the Bureau Of Parliamentary Studies and Training, Lok Sabha Secretariat, at the Gujarat Assembly building in Gandhinagar. It will continue till February 12.

Bhatt said that not only Gujarat, but other states have also been facing a shortage of experts or consultants for framing/drafting new legislations and rules. "A large number of students pass their LLB or LLM examinations across the country every year. But there is none who has expertise in Parliamentary or legislative affairs. It's now high time a new curriculum was introduced in our law colleges across the country," he added.

Former Supreme Court Judge C K Thakkar said the entire legal system is based on drafting the Acts of Parliament and Legislatures, Rules and Regulations, By-laws, Orders and Notifications, and their interpretation and application.

"A draftsman must be very careful in using language and should have knowledge of the legal system," he said. Thakkar spoke on the issue, 'Discipline in Legislative Drafting'.