Revitalizing Legislative Sittings: Speaker Om Birla's Call to Action

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla highlights the decline in legislative sittings at the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference. He urges for more sittings, fewer disruptions, and stronger parliamentary committees to enhance government accountability, noting Delhi Assembly's low meeting frequency and bill passage rates.

At the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla voiced concerns about the dwindling number of legislative sittings. His remarks highlighted the pressing need for an increase in meeting frequencies to uphold democratic processes.

Addressing planned disruptions in legislative bodies, Birla called on political parties to implement guidelines for maintaining decorum. Furthermore, he advocated the expansion of parliamentary standing committees' roles to ensure greater accountability from elected governments.

The conference noted the Delhi Assembly's low activity, with only 74 sittings over five years. On average, the assembly convened for 15 days annually, with a sparse legislative output of just 14 bills, setting a record low for full-term assemblies.

(With inputs from agencies.)