Where do you start when you have 116 bills pending and 16 working days to get some of them through? If you are the UPA Government, you start by making sure Parliament actually works, and working hours are accounted for. Stagnation has been the defining characteristic of UPA 2. According to PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based think tank, only 32 bills have been passed by both Houses in 2012 and 13 so far in 2013. In contrast, 65 bills were passed in 2006 and 56 were passed in 2005. In 2012, only 61 per cent of available time was used for parliamentary work in the Lok Sabha and 66 per cent in the Rajya Sabha. With persistent disruptions and elusive political consensus on key legislation, significant social, economic and anti-corruption laws risk lapsing. This is the Government's last possible chance to turn things around before critical Assembly elections to Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. No business is likely to happen in the winter session as it comes too close to the 2014 polls and the budget session gets cancelled in an election year. But what will the Government actually do? As economist Bibek Debroy points out, what could happen will depend on who it's being done for. "UPA has a problem of addressing an external audience. If legislation is done from that point of view then the focus will be on the insurance and pension bills that will raise the FDI cap to 49 per cent. These bills will be seen as important in persuading the world that reforms are taking off," he said. Yet what really matters to citizens are transformative bills such as the time-bound delivery of goods and services bill which brings accountability to government departments. There is crucial regulation pending such as the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill that could be a boon to both farmers and industry. The people want decisions from the Government before elections, while the Government may be more concerned about selling the illusion of action. They have 16 days to save India, and themselves.