New Delhi 10 May 2023: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla inaugurated an Orientation Program organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) for newly elected Members of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly at the Parliament House Complex, today.
At the outset, Shri Birla welcomed the newly elected MLAs to the inaugural session.
Shri Birla said the public representatives must make sincere efforts to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people and ensure that their needs are met. He added that the people have given their representatives a lot of responsibilities and, therefore they must try to work with complete dedication towards public welfare.
Shri Birla noted that the Legislative Assembly is the most important platform for giving voice to the weakest sections of society and making sure that the public representatives address the issues of the people. He added that feedback from the public, well researched expert viewpoints, extensive debates and the legislators own experiences must come together in order to deliver high-quality legislation for public welfare.
Mentioning that as the mother of democracy, India has a long tradition of democratic decision making; Shri Birla mentioned that in the 75 years of independence India has seen large scale and widespread socio-economic transformation due to strenuous adherence to democracy. He added that Indian democracy has stood the test of time and has proved many naysayers wrong.
Urging the newly elected Members to participate in Legislative proceedings purposively, Shri Birla counselled that Members must gain as much experience as possible and delve deep into legislative proceedings and debates. He added that legislative experience is enriched by careful analysis and research into debates and discussions. Shri Birla also expressed concern about the decline in number of sittings in State Legislatures. He added that newly elected Members lose out on vital legislative experience when Assembly sessions are curtailed.
In this context, Shri Birla appreciated the fact the Himachal Legislative Assembly has the distinction of being first fully digital paperless Assembly.
Mentioning that the conduct of Legislators should be beyond reproach, both within and outside the Assembly, Shri Birla said that it is the responsibility of every elected public representative to ensure that Legislative bodies must always hold debates on the basis of factual information. Shri Birla observed that constructive debates in Legislatures send a positive message to people. He added that allegations which are baseless and devoid of facts should be avoided by public representatives.
In the context of planned disruptions of House proceedings, Shri Birla said that such conduct and indiscipline should be discouraged by all Members. He added that disorderly behavior by elected representatives lowers the dignity of the House and erodes public trust in institutions of governance.
Secretary General of Lok Sabha, Shri Utpal Kumar Singh delivered the welcome address.
