Patna (Bihar) [India], January 21 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated on Tuesday that the tradition of barrier-free, orderly discussion and smooth communication should be maintained in legislatures. Expressing concern over the decline in the number of sittings, Birla said that it should be the endeavour of all Presiding Officers to ensure no disruptions occur in the houses, despite agreements and disagreements.
Om Birla said, “Our houses should perform their functions in a better environment, serving the wider public interest, enabling us to contribute more effectively to public service and good governance by fulfilling our constitutional responsibilities through our houses.”
Addressing the valedictory session of the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference in Patna, Birla informed that the 85th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) has adopted five resolutions on tributes to founding fathers, respect for values in the constitution, barrier-free and orderly debates, the celebration of 75th years of the constitution and use of digital technology.
Birla said that all the Presiding Officers have given creative ideas to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Constitution as a festival.
“By involving the Parliament of India and the Legislative Assemblies of all States with active participation of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Bodies, Cooperative Institutions, youth, women, students, professionals, NGOs, entrepreneurs, media and all stakeholders of democracy, should run campaigns and various programmes to deepen democracy across the country throughout the year,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of excellent research support for lawmakers, Birla stated that having excellent research and reference wings in legislative bodies is essential to build capacity and assist members. He further announced plans to establish a Research Pool in the Lok Sabha, which will provide research support to State Assemblies and Legislative Councils.
Talking about the need to further strengthen the committee system in legislatures, Birla said that meaningful initiatives have been taken to strengthen the functioning of Parliamentary Committees. “The Public Accounts Committee, Estimate Committee and other committees are functioning in the legislatures of various states across the country. This year, under the banner of AIPOC, training and capacity-building programs will also be organized for the committees of all state legislatures,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “One Nation, One Legislative Platform,” Birla said that unprecedented progress has been made in this direction over the last year. While Parliament debates are being made available online by translating them into both Hindi and English, state legislatures have also made remarkable progress in digitizing their current and past debates.
He expressed confidence that by 2025, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision, a unique platform will be provided to Indian citizens, enabling them to access not only Parliament debates but also legislative debates on any topic through keyword, metadata, and AI-powered search.
The Lok Sabha Speaker highlighted that the Parliament of India is leading in leveraging technology. He informed that AI enables simultaneous translation in 10 of the 22 official languages in the Parliament of India, and this facility will soon be available to members in all 22 languages.
Birla said that all types of parliamentary papers are being made available to members in 10 regional languages through Artificial Intelligence and expressed happiness that India is the only democracy moving towards translating all debates. “Presiding officers that the Parliament of India will share technological tools with state legislatures to enhance their efficiency and productivity,” he said.
Birla further said that it is the resolve of the presiding officers to continue working towards the empowerment of the Parliament of India, state legislatures, Panchayati Raj institutions, urban bodies, cooperative institutions, and all democratic institutions.
Birla said that all legislative bodies should play effective role in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 by taking the country forward through dialogue, discussion, agreement and disagreement.
Praising the role of the PRIDE institution of the Lok Sabha Secretariat in training lawmakers and parliamentary officers worldwide, the Speaker said that through PRIDE, training programs have been organized for over 100 nations’ parliaments and almost all state legislatures. “Special programs on Legislative Drafting have been conducted for 25 state legislatures. PRIDE will organise legislative drafting and capacity-building programmes throughout the year for the empowerment of all democratic institutions,” he said.
Birla informed that during the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference, the Presiding Officers adopted five important resolutions after extensive deliberations, i.e. Homage and tributes to the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers of Constitution; Commitment to conduct business in legislative bodies in accordance with the values and ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India; Resolution for barrier-free, orderly debates and discussion in legislatures; Resolution to run campaigns and programmes throughout the year on completion of 75 years of the Constitution; Resolution to adopt modern digital technology including AI.
Appreciating the active participation of presiding officers and the sharing of best practices among them, Birla said that the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) in Patna will be pivotal in guiding presiding officers to discharge their responsibilities more effectively, thereby strengthening democratic values.
He observed that the sharing of information and experiences at the conference will inspire presiding officers to innovate in their respective houses, leading to greater transparency and accountability in governance.
The agenda of the two-day Conference was: ’75th Anniversary of the Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State Legislative Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Values’.
On the occasion, Birla also inaugurated NeVA Seva Kendra (NeVA) at the Bihar Legislature Complex.
On the occasion of the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC), an exhibition on the glorious journey of democracy in India was put up by the Parliament Museum and Archives, Lok Sabha Secretariat. (ANI)
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