New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) Speaking about the important role of the country’s Parliament and state legislatures in realising the dream of a developed India, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla claimed that building a self-reliant and developed India is not possible without the cooperation and support of legislative bodies.
Presiding over the plenary session of the 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference held at the Parliament House complex, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stressed on the use of technology to improve the efficiency and functioning of legislatures.
He urged that legislative bodies should discuss on various platforms and shape public welfare schemes for the welfare of the last person of the society through technology. He further said that in the current context, when technology and communication media have become a part of the daily life of the people, public representatives should find ways and means to fulfill the growing aspirations and expectations of the people from democracy through legislative bodies.
Om Birla further said that the Constitution of India is the strongest example of the spirit of inclusive governance and the historic laws passed by the Parliament of India have accelerated the pace of development and made India’s progress more inclusive. Urging democratic institutions to ensure accountability and transparency of the executive and make governance more responsive and efficient, he also said that legislative bodies should play their role effectively by streamlining rules, best practices and procedures.
He said that the future of India will be bright only by making the governance system in accordance with the hopes and aspirations of the people. In the fast-changing world, India can emerge as an ideal democratic nation through inclusive participation and responsible governance. He urged the presiding officers and legislators to reflect on how far they have been successful in fulfilling the expectations and aspirations of the people as the legislative body of the country in the journey of the last 7 decades.
He said that without this introspection, the dream of inclusive development cannot be realised. Referring to the P-20 summit held in India, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that during that summit, the presiding officers had emphasised on the need to ensure strong, stable, balanced and inclusive development of nations and the role of legislatures in this process. Such a global system is possible only when necessary policies are made for it, such policies are widely discussed by public representatives and they are implemented through good governance.
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh and presiding officers of legislative bodies of several states of India participated in this session. The theme of this plenary session was “Role of Legislative Bodies in Sustainable and Inclusive Development”.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha Speaker also chaired the Executive Committee meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region in Parliament House. In the Executive Committee, Birla emphasized on increasing public participation in the democratic system. He suggested that legislative bodies should work closely with grassroots bodies, especially Panchayati Raj institutions. By doing so, they will be able to discharge their responsibilities of meeting the needs and aspirations of the people more effectively.
–IANS
STP/ABM
