Lok Sabha Secretariat
Camp: Bhopal
Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
The Lok Sabha Speaker and the Chairperson of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India, Smt. Meira Kumar, will inaugurate the 74th Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India tomorrow in the Chamber of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. Besides the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Presiding Officers from Legislative Bodies in India will be attending the two-day Conference. This is for the third time that the Conference is being held in Bhopal. Earlier, the 37th and 55th Conferences were held in Bhopal in 1971 and 1989, respectively.
The Conference will deliberate on three subjects, viz. (i) Self-assessment by Legislature for Enhancing its Relevance; (ii) Creation of Smaller States: A National Perspective; and (iii) The Role of Speaker in the Administration of Legislature.
The Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha will also inaugurate two Exhibitions, viz. (i) Democracy in India: From Past to Present, set up by the Parliamentary Museum and Archives (PMA) Division of the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in collaboration with the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP); and (ii) Development of the State set up by the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, tomorrow in the Vidhan Bhawan premises.
The Conference will be followed by a Symposium on Urgency in addressing the Needs of Environment and Conservation of Wildlife to be held on 5 February 2010.
Today, the Conference of Secretaries of Legislative Bodies in India was held in Committee Room No. 1 (Kailash) of the Madhya Sabha Vidhan Sabha Bhawan. The Conference was inaugurated by Shri P.D.T. Achary, Secretary-General, Lok Sabha, and the Chairman of the Conference. The Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha, Dr. V.K. Agnihotri, also spoke at the inaugural function. Dr. A.K. Payasi, Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, delivered the Welcome Address.
Recapitulating the major developments of parliamentary interest since the last Conference in Chandigarh in September 2008, Shri P.D.T. Achary, Secretary-General, Lok Sabha, referred to the mammoth electoral exercise and the subsequent constitution of the Fifteenth Lok Sabha, and the election of Smt. Meira Kumar and Shri Kariya Munda as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, respectively. Referring to the 20th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in New Delhi in January 2010, Shri Achary said that the Conference proved to be a grand success towards deliberating the multi-dimensional role of the Speakers and Presiding Officers and reinforcing the benchmarks of parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth Parliaments. Besides recalling other important developments in the Lok Sabha, Shri Achary informed the Delegates that the Report of the seven-member Committee to inquire into the complaints made by them regarding the alleged offer of money to the three members in connection with the voting on the Motion of Confidence was laid on the Table of the House on 15 December 2008. Mentioning about the notices of question of privilege against the Prime Minister alleging that, by not coming to Parliament before operationalizing the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, he had violated the assurance given to the Parliament in his reply to the Motion of Confidence on 22 July 2008, Shri Achary referred to the ruling of the Lok Sabha Speaker, which disallowed the notices of question of privilege. Further, referring to the Report of the Liberhan Ayodhya Commission and the Memorandum of Action Taken by the Government of India thereon, Shri Achary invited the attention of the Delegates to the observation of the Hon’ble Speaker, urging the members to participate in the discussion on the emotive issue without hurting the sentiments of one another.
Recalling the institution of the Annual Parliamentary Lecture in the memory of Prof. Hiren Mukerjee, Shri Achary mentioned that the 2nd Prof. Hiren Mukerjee Memorial Annual Parliamentary Lecture was delivered by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate, on the theme Social Business: A Step toward creating a New Economic and Social Order, on 9 December 2009. Shri Achary also mentioned that the Lok Sabha Secretariat had brought out the Sixth revised edition of M.N. Kaul and S.L. Shakdher’s Practice and Procedure of Parliament which was released by the Hon’ble Speaker, Smt. Meira Kumar, on 14 December 2009.
Referring to distinct work culture and rules of conduct of Legislature Secretariats, Shri Achary informed that a batch of Officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat was sent to the first Foundation Course for the Officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat at Dr. MCR Human Resource Development Institute of Andhra Pradesh and subsequently to other training institutes from January 2009 onwards. The basic objective of the training was to provide a thorough grounding of the parliamentary officials and to inculcate in them a perceptive appreciation of the role of Parliament and its institutions.
Addressing the Conference, Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha, Dr. V.K. Agnihotri, outlined the significant developments in the Rajya Sabha since the last Conference in 2008. Among other issues, Dr. Agnihotri highlighted several initiatives taken by the Hon’ble Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari, for ensuring the smooth functioning of the House. In this context, he mentioned, inter alia, the steps taken to streamline the procedure of ‘Question Hour’, the computerization of the various activities which the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has undertaken, etc. Highlighting the importance of the smooth flow of information, Dr. Agnihotri informed the Delegates about the various initiatives taken up by the Rajya Sabha to build an effective and constructive relationship between Parliament and the media, and the publication of a series of “Occasional Papers” on a wide range of topical issues.
Earlier, delivering the Welcome Address, Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, Dr. A.K. Payasi, highlighted the significance of the Conference as a forum for consultation and discussion in order to evolve effective and uniform Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business and to resolve issues and problems faced by Legislatures. Further, referring to the important role that Secretaries have to play, Dr. Payasi mentioned that the responsibility of Secretary of the Legislature is very extensive and wide ranging which requires them, besides other things, to act as the head of their respective Secretariats and chief advisor and consultant to the Presiding Officers, besides being the Secretary of the House. Dwelling upon the various attributes that could help a Secretary in the efficient discharge of his duty, Dr. Payasi said that he has to possess the attributes of an efficient administrator, an expert in parliamentary functioning and a skillful diplomat.
Besides the Secretaries-General of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of State Legislatures in India attended the Conference. The following subjects were discussed at the Conference: Confidence Vote after the General Elections to prove Majority: Should the Address by the President/Governor precede or succeed it?; Resignation of Members en masse and the implications thereof; Making the Question Hour more Efficient and Effective; Declining Participation and Presence of Members in Debates on Bills and Sittings of the House; Legislatures and the Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission; Financial Autonomy of Parliament and Legislature Secretariats; and Confidentiality of Evidence tendered before a Parliamentary Committee vis-à-vis Disclosures under the RTI Act, 2005.
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