New Delhi 09 August : Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla inaugurated an orientation program organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) for newly elected MPs of the 18th Lok Sabha in the Parliament House Complex today.
On this occasion, Shri Birla said that the Speaker does not function on the basis of ideology or party. In fact, the Speaker is the guardian of the rights of all Members. He urged the new Members to share their suggestions regarding facilities and functioning of the House to ensure more effective arrangements.
Shri Birla expressed joy that a total of 280 Members have been elected for the first time in the 18th Lok Sabha, which is more than the previous Lok Sabha. He expressed confidence that the fresh ideas of the new Members along with the vast experiences of the re-elected Members would bring greater quality to the functioning of the Lok Sabha.
Shri Birla informed that during his tenure as Speaker, many steps have been taken to encourage newly elected MPs. In this context, he said that it is very important for the new Members to work towards enhancing the dignity and prestige of the House. He stressed that the conduct of MPs inside and outside the House should always be of high standard that must uphold and enhance the dignity of the House. He added that it is the responsibility of the Members that during the proceedings in the House, their behavior and conduct remains dignified, and in accordance with the directions of the Chair. He suggested the newly elected Members to express their views courteously inside the House, to remain within rules and procedures and to extend due respect to their fellow Members. He suggested to the Members to make maximum use of procedural devices – Question Hour, Zero Hour, Calling Attention etc.
Emphasizing that the conduct of Members inside and outside the House should be of the highest standard, he said that the people closely note the actions, words and conduct of their representatives both inside and outside the House. He suggested that during discussions in the House, Members must deeply study the topics under consideration and present their views succinctly. Members must attend House sittings as much as possible and try to learn from their senior colleagues.
Referring to his long experience of public life, Shri Birla observed that Members of Parliament are the bearers of public aspirations. Therefore, people expect from their representatives that they would express their problems, difficulties and concerns in the Parliament and find appropriate solutions. In this context, he expressed the view that Members of Parliament could fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the public in the House only when they have complete knowledge of parliamentary procedures. He said that the objective of the Orientation Program is that all the newly elected Members get information about the resources, facilities and systems related to parliamentary functioning.
Shri Birla told the Members that under this Orientation Program, along with providing information about all the aspects, customs and methods related to the functioning of the parliamentary system, the MPs would also be made aware of the rules of conduct of work etc., so that they could discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Shri Birla said that the Parliament has a very rich library for the use of the MPs where they could access debates and reports of Committees and debates related to all laws passed in the Parliament since independence, including the debates of the Constituent Assembly. He suggested all the MPs to make proper use of the library and stressed on in-depth study of current events and topics. He suggested Members to make maximum use of digital resources, including research notes and reference services.
On this occasion, Secretary General of Lok Sabha Shri Utpal Kumar Singh also remained present.
In the two-day Orientation Program organized by PRIDE, newly elected MPs will benefit from the experiences of senior MPs and other domain experts in various sessions. Few of the topics to be covered in the various sessions are as follows:
• Legislative and Budgetary Process
• Parliamentary Questions and Procedural Devices to Raise Matters in the House
• Initiatives of Sansad TV;
• Digital Sansad: Online/Digital Facilities for Members of Parliament and Cyber Security
• Support Services for Members of Parliament: Parliamentary Library; Audio Visual Services; E-Support and PRISM
• Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)
• Committee System in Parliament
• Parliamentary Privileges
• Facilities and Amenities for Members of Parliament; and
• Parliament Security and Related Information
• How to be an Effective Parliamentarian?
