New Delhi : The 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference, which commenced on 23 September 2024 in Parliament premises, concluded today. Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla, who is also the Chairperson of the CPA India Region, chaired the Concluding Session.
On this occasion, Shri Birla said that commotion and acrimony in legislatures are matter of concern. He informed that this issue has been discussed with the Presiding Officers from time to time and the Presiding Officers have been urged to conduct House proceedings with dignity and decorum and according to Indian values and standards. The traditions and systems of the House should be Indian in nature, and the policies and laws should strengthen the feeling of Indianness to achieve the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, he observed. The Presiding Officers may ensure that House becomes the center of dignified discussion on the policies and programmes of the government with everyone’s participation, opined Shri Birla.
Stressing that the role of legislatures is important in the development of any country and State, Shri Birla observed that our democratic institutions should constantly endeavor to engage with the public and address their needs and aspirations. 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. Presiding Officers should maintain continuous and consistent dialogue across the parties and set new standards of politics, he urged.
Expressing happiness that the legislative bodies are digitizing processes and records in legislatures in their States and taking measures for capacity building of public representatives using information technology, Lok Sabha Speaker hoped that such measures would go a long way to improve efficiency and effectiveness of legislatures. State legislatures should enhance the pace of digitization, wherever lagging behind, so that the vision of ‘one nation, one digital platform’ could be realized, he suggested. He also assured that the issues raised by the Presiding Officers during the Conference like financial autonomy, decreasing number of days in the Sessions of the Houses, e-Vidhan, etc. will be discussed further and acceptable solutions will be found.
Shri 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. Shri 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.
On the second day of the Conference i.e. on 24 September, 2024, Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla with Presiding Officers of State Legislative Bodies paid tributes to eminent personalities at Prerna Sthal in Parliament premises.
