LOK SABHA SPEAKER ADDRESSES CLOSING SESSION OF 10TH CPA INDIA REGION CONFERENCE
ANDALIB AKHTER / NEW DELHI
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today highlighted the role of legislatures in the development of any country and State, saying that our democratic institutions should constantly endeavor to engage with the public and address their needs and aspirations.
“Presiding Officers should maintain continuous and consistent dialogue across the parties and set new standards of politics”, he said
He opined that Presiding Officers should take necessary steps to make democratic institutions of the country transparent, accountable and result-oriented. He also suggested that for effective functioning of legislatures, new Members should be given comprehensive training related to functioning of the House, dignity and decorum of the House and utilisation of the legislative instruments available with them to raise the issues of the public.
Mr Birla said that a productive discussion took place on various issues, including the digitisation of legislative assemblies, capacity building of legislators, and the role of legislative bodies in sustainable and inclusive development in the 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference.
Mr. Birla, who is also the Chairperson of the CPA India Region, chaired the two-day meeting that concluded in New Delhi today. 25 speakers, four chairmen, and 22 presiding officers of legislatures from states and union territories, along with others, attended the conference.
Briefing the media after the conclusion of the conference, Lok Sabha Speaker said that during the meeting all participants opined that legislative bodies should be made more active among the people so that benefits of sustainable and inclusive development reach the last person in the queue. He said innovative ideas and best practices adopted in the state assemblies were also shared among the participants. Mr. Birla said that discussion also took place on the issue of the completion of digitisation of state assemblies so that the goal of one nation, one digital platform, could be achieved.
The CPA India Region was created in 2004 from the erstwhile CPA Asia Region as one of the nine regions of the CPA. Currently, it has 31 Member Branches, including the Parliament of India and 30 State and Union Territories Legislatures.…
He opined that Presiding Officers should take necessary steps to make democratic institutions of the country transparent, accountable and result-oriented. He also suggested that for effective functioning of legislatures, new Members should be given comprehensive training related to functioning of the House, dignity and decorum of the House and utilisation of the legislative instruments available with them to raise the issues of the public.
Birla hoped that the two day Conference would bring visible results in functioning of legislatures. Presiding Officers should work with a new thinking, new vision, and make new rules and policies for the future, he suggested. Birla emphasized that the benefits of sustainable and inclusive development should reach the last person in the society.
42 Presiding Officers, including four Chairpersons and 25 Speakers along with their Principal Secretaries/Secretaries and accompanying officers attended the Conference.
The theme of the Conference was “The Role of Legislative Bodies in the attainment of Sustainable and Inclusive Development.” The Conference was preceded by Executive Committee meeting of the CPA India Region on 23 September, 2024.