Mumbai / New Delhi, Jan 27 (Mayank Nigam) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sarturday said that the conduct of public representatives should be in accordance with parliamentary decorum. Speaking after inaugurating the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) in Maharashtra Legislature premises here, he expressed concern over incidents of indiscipline, disruption of proceedings and unparliamentary conduct in the legislatures affecting their credibility. Birla noted that there is enough space to give voice to dissent in the democratic system, therefore, disruption should not be used as a tool of protest and dissent.
Maintaining the prestige and dignity of the legislatures and dignified conduct in the Legislatures are paramount but it is a matter of concern that despite having a consensus on these issues, we are yet to implement our commitments for smooth functioning of the house, the Lok Sabha Speakar said. Birla urged the Members to devote their time in the house on productive business. In this regard, he suggested that concrete and definite action plan, including changes in rules, if necessary, should be prepared to ensure that Legislatures function sans disruptions. Emphasing on innovation, the Lok Sabha Speaker suggested that new and innovative methods of working should be promoted in legislatures so that the democratic institutions can better perform their responsibility of monitoring the executive and people’s faith in these institutions will enhance. The good works being done by the State Legislatures in the socio-economic fields should be discussed in the house, best practices may be shared as such measures will enhance credibility of both Legislatures and people’s representatives among the public. Stressing on use of technology in legislative works, Birla suggested that public representatives should be proficient in technology and use them to connect with the public.
More and more use of technology will enhance efficiency of members. Capacity building of members should be taken seriously by the Legislatures, regular training programmes on rules of legislatures, legislative tools and using technology should be conducted for the members, added the Speaker. He also urged the State legislatures for digitization of debates in a time bound manner so that ‘One Nation, One Legislative Platform can be a reality soon’. Referring to the role of parliamentary committees in democracy, Birla noted that parliamentary committees play a vital role in shaping laws and policies in the present perspective. Parliamentary Committees are actually ‘mini Parliaments’ and they review these laws, policies and programs on behalf of the Parliament and make them more useful to the public, he added. The Lok Sabha Speaker also suggested that parliamentary committees should work in a spirit of collaboration and inclusivity, using the collective knowledge of all parties to engage in constructive discussion and be productive. The reports of the committees which have brought positive changes in the society should be highlighted.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh; Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Chairperson, Maharashtra Legislative Council, Dr. Neelam Gorhe and Deputy Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Narahari Sitaram Jirwal graced the Inaugural Session and addressed the distinguished gathering. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Conference through video message. 26 Presiding Officers participated in the inaugural session. Ahead of the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference, Lok Sabha Speaker also presided over the Standing Committee of AIPOC in Maharashtra Legislature premises, Mumbai. As part of the AIPOC, the 60th Conference of Secretaries of Legislative Bodies in India was held today to discuss the following Agenda Topic on ‘Making Use of Cutting Edge Technologies in the Service of Legislature. Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary General, Lok Sabha chaired the Session. On this occasion, Singh highlighted the significance of 2023 in Indian history, marking the dedication of India’s New Parliament Building and the hosting of the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit by the Indian Parliament, culminating in a unanimous declaration. He also touched upon the ongoing advancements in the Lok Sabha, such as the use of AI for simultaneous interpretation and a language localization project based on AI, which is currently in an advanced stage of implementation in Lok Sabha. The Secretary General thanked Maharashtra Legislature for organizing the Conference and for extending hospitality to the Presiding Officers, Secretaries and others. Secretary General, Rajya Sabha, P C Mody and Secretary, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also spoke on the occasion.