Uphold dignity of legislature: Meira to presiding officers
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Wednesday said that the future of the nation was shaped by its legislative bodies and stressed on the need for upholding the dignity and prestige of legislatures.
The Speaker’s comments came during her inaugural address at the two-day 76th Conference of Presiding Officers of legislative Bodies in India here, in the Rajasthan legislative Assembly.
Kumar said in the six decades of its functioning, the parliamentary system had established sound precedents and traditions and reinforced ‘our democracy’. She highlighted the need for regular and meaningful scrutiny of its functioning to make it infallible.
The issues being raised at the conference, Kumar said, had a crucial bearing on the country’s parliamentary democratic system. She said discussions would be held on determination of maximum period for assent to bills passed by the legislature, role of the legislature in scrutinizing and making laws, good governance and era of coalition government – its compulsions and challenges. A symposium on ‘Strengthening Constitutional Scheme of Checks and Balances’ would also be held, she added.
Recapitulating some of the significant developments that had taken place in different sessions of the 15th Lok Sabha, the Speaker said price rise, illegal mining in states, constitution of a joint committee on 2-G spectrum facilitating the passage of rail budget and general budget without the scrutiny of Standing Committee were taken up.
Similarly, the matters of urgent public importance like CWG 2010, situation arising out of widespread corruption and issues relating to setting up a Lokpal were discussed in the House. The Speaker recalled the US President Barack Obama’s addressed to members of both the houses in the Central Hall of Parliament on November 8, 2010.
She said Mahatma Gandhi was his inspiration and referred to Obama’s lavish praise for India’s strong and vibrant democracy. She expressed happiness over the organization of Presiding Officers Conference for the third time in Rajasthan.
