Adopt latest technology to improve governance in digital age: Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday underlined the need for improving governance in the digital age by leveraging technological advancements that had transformed every sphere of life. He addressed the inaugural session of the two-day annual conference of the Zone-II of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India region, at the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha complex at Tapovan in Dharamsala.

The conference brought together the Speakers, Deputy Speakers, Chief Whips, Deputy Chief Whips, MPs and MLAs of New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, the Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies of Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana were special guests at the event.

Birla said that the conference was a crucial platform for strengthening democratic institutions, exchanging best practices and exploring innovative governance strategies in this digital era. He added that the Union Government envisioned integrating the proceedings of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and all Vidhan Sabhas/Vidhan Parishads into one digital platform, thus enabling legislators to learn from their counterparts and adopt effective legislative practices.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh stressed the need for innovation and transformation across sectors to foster national development. “Members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and lawmakers must develop innovative solutions to conserve natural resources and convert them into drivers of sustainable growth,” he added.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that anti-defection law was a must in safeguarding democracy. He added that for the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh, an attempt was made to overthrow a democratically-elected government. However, the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha took a lawful stance and disqualified the MLAs concerned, which was the right step to safeguard democracy.

He said, “The Himachal Vidhan Sabha has passed a Bill to stop the pension of the disqualified legislators and is awaiting the Governor’s approval.” He advocated a separate policy for the hill states keeping in view their tough topography to safeguard and enhance their revenue.

Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and several MPs and MLAs attended the inaugural session. Later in the evening, the lawmakers had an interaction with Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.