The two -day All India Presiding Officers’ Conference held on November 25 and 26, 2020, concluded with an address by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister said that our efforts should be directed towards making common people understand our Constitution better. This move for ‘Know Your Constitution’ will act like a protective guard for the Constitution of India. Shri Modi also called for making the language of laws simpler, so that common people may understand it.
The concluding session of the 80th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference was followed by a press conference addressed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla. The Lok Sabha Speaker informed that the Presiding Officers have taken a pledge to strengthen the democratic institutions so that they can work together for the welfare of our society and democracy. He stated that the Presiding Officers have expressed their views on how to strengthen the democracy and make the institutions more accountable. He further informed, the Presiding Officers have taken a decision to honour the Best State Legislature, to be nominated by a committee to be formed for this purpose of studying the works of various State Legislatures and then taking a decision on it. This will inspire the other State Legislatures to work more efficiently, he said. The Presiding Officers have also decided to inform the people of this country about the fundamentals rights and duties stated in our Constitution. The Parliament and the State Legislatures will work jointly for this purpose. The Lok Sabha Speaker requested all State and UT Governments to make reading of the Preamble in all schools and colleges a compulsory daily activity. He urged the State Assemblies to coordinate with the State Governments to work for making every person and, especially, youths, aware about the fundamental rights and duties as enshrined in our Constitution. As this is the centennial year of the Presiding Officers’ Conference, this year will be celebrated as a festival of democracy. All State Legislatures will plan programmes on the role and responsibilities of people’s representatives, accountability towards the people, etc, in their areas of jurisdiction. These apart, local programmes will be organized by involving the people’s representatives, starting from the level of panchayats, to discuss on how democracy along with accountability towards the people can be strengthened, so that welfare of the last man in the remotest corner takes place. A committee has also been formed on grant of financial power to State Legislatures. Another committee has been formed to study implementation of the decisions being taken in the legislatures.
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The Lok Sabha Speaker also informed that the report on e-vidhan will soon be placed by the Committee formed under the Speaker of Assam State Assembly. E-vidhan will lead to bringing together the works of all legislatures in a single portal.
Informing that Presiding Officers from 20 out of a total of 30 State Assemblies participated in the conference, Shri Birla stated, “More than 70 percent attendance in the times of COVID-19 pandemic shows that our Presiding Officers are vigilant towards our democracy and are also performing their constitutional duties”. He remarked that the people are at the root of our Constitution and said, this day (November 26) has been chosen to protect our Constitution as our Constitution was adopted on this very day and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar played an important role in it.
MD/DK