Assembly sessions must not be pruned, debates vital: LS Speaker

Panaji: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday expressed concern over truncated assembly sessions and said that extensive debates and discussions are necessary to formulate legislation for the welfare of the people.
Birla’s speech to the members of the Goa assembly at Porvorim focused on ‘Viksit Bharat’. “I am happy that the Goa legislative assembly functions for 40 days. Our concern is the reduction of the duration of assembly sessions,” he said. “Though Goa is a small state, its legislators engage in productive discussions and debates and introduce welfare schemes for the people.”
The Lok Sabha Speaker added, “I am hopeful that in the coming days, our panchayats, municipal councils, assemblies and the Lok Sabha will be made more accountable to the public.” He said discussions were needed at every level of people’s representation.
As for Goa, Birla said that the state has the potential to achieve all the sustainable development goals before 2030 and it should work in that direction. He advised MLAs to prioritise the implementation of budget schemes to fulfill the aspirations of citizens. “If work proceeds after due discussions at panchayat and assembly levels, then Goa will be the model of development by 2047,” he said, adding that by then India will be the nation emulated by other countries.
Birla reiterated that lawmakers have the responsibility to ensure that welfare schemes they have enacted genuinely benefit people.
Goa has an important place in the country, Birla said, citing the state’s cultural wealth, blue economy, and heritage. “I congratulate all the chief ministers of the state for developing it for tourism and attracting domestic as well as international tourists,” Birla said.
The Speaker said that over the past 75 years, democracy has strengthened in India and its democratic institutions have become more accountable to the people.
“We have a lot of dreams and we have to achieve them in the next 25 years,” Birla said. “We have the highest number of youth, we have good leadership, and people have faith in the country’s institutions. The world is looking at us.”
Goa has developed prodigiously since its liber-ation, Birla said. “The state is always ahead on fronts such as education, employment, and health.”