Page 3 - Om Birla

Political parties should have code of conduct for lawmakers, says Om Birla

Amid disruptions in Parliament and state legislatures, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday urged political parties to devise a code of conduct for their lawmakers to uphold the dignity of their respective Houses. The two-day 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference also adopted a five-point resolution that included a collective resolve to take steps to ensure "disruption-free" debate and discussion in their respective legislatures. The presiding officers agreed to deploy technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to bring legislative bodies closer to the people by making available debates in the local and two additional languages, Birla said. The presiding officers voiced concern over the decline in the number of sittings of state legislatures and agreed to implement the resolutions of previous meetings. "In an earlier meeting of the presiding officers, we had resolved that the state legislatures would hold at least 60 sittings in a calendar year. We h

Om Birla expresses concern over fewer sittings of legislative bodies

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) in Patna on Monday. The two-day conference is being held on '75th Anniversary of Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State legislative bodies in strengthening constitutional values'. In the conference, the delegates will deliberate on the adoption of modern technologies in legislative bodies for greater efficiency, effectiveness and productivity, officials said. Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav said this was the third time the state was hosting the programme after a gap of 43 years. "The land of Bihar is considered to be the centre of cultural, historical and intellectual heritage of India. This land has given birth to the compassion of Lord Buddha, the non-violence of Mahavira and the courage of Guru Govind Singh. This is the land from where Chanakya started the principles politics and emperor Ashoka gave the message of morality in governance," he said, adding that th

Om Birla chairs CSPOC committee meet as India to host conference next year

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday made a strong pitch for the use of artificial intelligence and social media in the working of parliaments. Birla made these remarks while chairing the standing committee meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) in Guernsey. India is hosting the 28th CSPOC next year. Birla said India is witnessing massive transformation in several sectors, such as agriculture, fintech, AI, and research and innovation. He said delegates attending the CSPOC would experience a unique blend of heritage and progress of the country. Last year, the Lok Sabha adopted artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to enhance the accessibility of parliamentary proceedings to lawmakers. These cutting-edge technologies are used to provide regional language translations for Members of Parliament and make available parliamentary papers in different languages. Birla highlighted the impo

UK has strong belief in India's democratic values, growth story: Om Birla

There is a strong belief in India's democratic values and growth story here, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said in London during his ongoing visit to the UK. Addressing a community gathering at the High Commission of India in London on Wednesday evening, Birla shared insights from his dialogues with his UK counterpart House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and other members of Parliament. He noted that his interactions highlighted the strength of the India-UK parliamentary cooperation and the multifaceted nature of the bilateral partnership across multiple sectors. I had a good dialogue with leading UK parliamentarians and they displayed a strong belief in India's democratic values and growth story, Birla said. Our electoral process is transparent, which has helped reinforce a belief in democracy around the world. We take pride as the largest democracy of the world, dubbed the mother of democracy', and I extend an invitation to come visit India's new Parliament as we mark 75 year

Om Birla urges women PRI leaders to adopt AI, innovation for governance

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday asked women representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation in order to make their areas more "people-oriented". Speaking at the 'Panchayat se Parliament 2.0' programme, Birla stressed the importance of technological advancements to drive sustainable development and improve governance at the grassroots level. The event, held at the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, was organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) in collaboration with the National Commission for Women and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. More than 500 women PRI representatives from 22 states and Union territories participated, with the gathering serving as a platform for reaffirming India's commitment to women-led development and grassroots empowerment. In his address, Birla underscored the transformative power of women leadership in strengthening India's democracy, ...

Murmu, VP Dhankhar, and LS Speaker Birla condole Shyam Benegal's demise

Benegal, a pivotal figure in Indian cinema, passed away on Monday at the age of 90 at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central

LS Speaker Birla bans demonstrations by MPs, parties at Parliament gates

After political protests turned ugly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, sources said. "Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said. The instructions came on a day when Parliament premises saw rival protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on the alleged insults to B R Ambedkar which soon turned into jostling and scuffles leaving two MPs injured and a woman MP claiming intimidation by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Hindi has played key role in India's development: LS Speaker Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday said that Hindi was India's soul and identity and along with other languages has played a significant role in the development of society and the nation. Addressing the 30th Annual Convention of the Etawah Hindi Seva Nidhi, Birla said that Hindi has woven the country's cultural diversity into a single thread and empowered it. He said that Hindi was not only a common language of communication but has adapted according to the changing technical landscape. "Today, with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the rich legacy of Hindi literature and poetry is available across the globe," he said, adding that Hindi has also been increasingly used in the fields of justice, administration and internet technology. Birla said that during the making of India's Constitution, the visionary leaders from various states, speaking different languages and dialects, recognized the importance of languages as symbols of unity and acknowledged Hindi's inherent potent

Lok Sabha pays tribute to martyrs of 2001 terror attack on Parliament

The Lok Sabha on Friday paid rich tributes to the security personnel who laid down their lives in foiling a terror attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla solemnly reiterated the commitment of the Lower House to fight terrorism and pledged to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation. "This House and the entire nation solemnly remembers unfortunate incident of December 13, 2001, when some terrorists attacked India's Parliament, the greatest symbol of our democracy," Birla said as soon as the House convened at 11:00 am. "Our alert security personnel deployed to ensure security of the Parliament premises displayed extraordinary courage and foiled this attack," he said. The Lok Sabha speaker said eight personnel from the Parliament Security Service, Delhi Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid down their lives while courageously repulsing the terror attack. One worker of the Central Public Works Department also laid down

Kalyan Banerjee submits written apology for remarks against Scindia

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has submitted a written apology for his remarks against Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia besides apologising in the House. As soon as the House met, some members belonging to the ruling alliance stood up to raise the issue of the remarks made by Banerjee. However, Birla intervened and said whatever happened on Wednesday was unfortunate and no member should make any personal remark against any fellow member. Without taking the name of Banerjee, he said any remark against women is in bad taste and it hurts their dignity and honour. The speaker said agreements and disagreements are part of the democratic process but no member should make any personal remark against anyone. "The member concerned had apologised (in the House). He has also given me in writing too," he said and started with the day's proceedings. On Wednesday, there were verbal clashes when Banerjee was speaking in the House during a discussion o

Remove Nishikant Dubey's unparliamentary remarks from record: Cong to Birla

Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi has urged Speaker Om Birla to examine the party's complaint against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's "defamatory remarks" against Rahul Gandhi and remove them from the record. Gogol said after the Speaker's decision, the Congress party is keen to participate in the legislative business listed for the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. Posting the letter on X, Congress General Secretary (In-charge, Communications) Jairam Ramesh said Gogoi has written to the Speaker reiterating the Congress' commitment to ensure Parliament functions smoothly. Gogoi has suggested a way forward to resume proceedings, he said. But does the Modi government want both Houses to function, Ramesh asked. In his letter to Birla dated December 10, Gogoi said, "As highlighted in my previous letters to you on December 5, 2024 and December 6, 2024, we remain deeply concerned about the defamatory remarks made by Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey against Leader of ...

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition protest over Adani issue

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday adjourned the House till 12 noon after opposition members, mostly Congress MPs, persisted on raising their issues. When the House met at 11 am, the opposition members were on their feet trying to raise their issues. A visibly agitated Birla asked the MPs to go back to their seats and allow the House to function. "Question Hour is significant. Allow the House to function properly. But you don't want to allow the House to run. The country wants the House to run. You are disrupting the proceedings of the House," he told the protesting members and adjourned the House till 12 noon. The adjournment came within a minute of the House resuming business after the weekend break. The proceedings of the House were washed out in the first week of the winter session starting November 25 due to protests by opposition members demanding that they be allowed to raise issues like the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court and Sambhal violence. Las

Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am of December 9

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a fervent appeal for order and cooperation during the winter session

Members should refrain from interjecting till permitted: LS speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said ministers should give up the habit of responding to members during the Question Hour till permitted by the Chair. This came after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made a comment while Union minister Pralhad Joshi was replying to a question on solar energy and Union minister Piyush Goyal responded to the Kannauj MP. Goyal earlier served as power minister. Joshi, who holds the New and Renewable Energy portfolio, was responding to supplementaries related to Pradhan Mantri-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY). Birla said ministers should not reply to members till they are allowed by the Chair. Later, the speaker also asked members to keep their questions and answers short. He made the comments when Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was responding to questions about BSNL. Scindia was also asked to keep his reply short. Members and ministers should keep their questions and answers crisp and to the point so that more members

Lok Sabha seat allotment sparks discontent; INDIA allies blame Congress

Members of Parliament from both NDA and Opposition parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the Lok Sabha seating arrangement, feeling that it does not reflect their seniority or political stature

Lok Sabha will be convened on Sunday, warns Om Birla amid House disruptions

The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Nov 25 and is set to continue until Dec 20, has faced significant disruptions due to Opposition protests

Oppn MPs, Rahul Gandhi, stage walkout in Lok Sabha over Sambhal violence

Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday staged a brief walkout from the House over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav rose from his seat and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject. "This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav was heard saying. As the Speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, Yadav and his party colleagues started to walk out in protest. Some SP members, meanwhile, rushed to the Well, raising slogans. While the SP members were protesting in the Well of the House, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the SP protest. NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the Samajwadi Party MPs. Some of the

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid protests over Adani, Sambhal issues

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Thursday amid protests by Opposition members over the Adani issue, violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and other issues. As soon as the House met for the day, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad in the recent bypoll, and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who was elected from Maharashtra's Nanded, took oath as Lok Sabha MPs. Immediately after the oath taking of the two new members, many Opposition members, including from the Congress, were on their feet as they sought to raise issues related to the allegations against the Adani Group and other issues. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the Opposition members to allow the Question Hour and said they can take up their issues later. "I have been giving you enough opportunities to raise your issues and will continue to do so

INDIA bloc leaders write to Om Birla to let LoPs speak on Constitution Day

Leaders of various opposition parties of the INDIA bloc have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow leaders of the opposition in both Houses to speak during the Constitution Day celebration function. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak during Tuesday's function in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to mark the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution. "We are writing in the context of the function being held tomorrow (Tuesday) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. We understand that the function will be addressed by the president, vice-president and the prime minister of India," the letter signed by leaders of various parties said. "We believe that in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be given a

LS speaker Om Birla says constitution should be kept away from politics

He said that no government of any party or ideology can temper the basic spirit (or structure) of the Constitution. There have been changes made in the Constitution from time to time but to cater