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Constitution of India is not just a legal document but a symbol of the nation’s ideals and objectives – Gvernor, Bihar

*Patna, 21 January *: Governor, Bihar, Shri Arif Mohammad Khan addressed the Valedictory Session of the 85th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) at Patna, today.

Referring to the ancient heritage of Indian democracy, Shri Khan observed that the origin of the Panchayati Raj system can be traced back to the ancient Indian republics, where the governance system was based on democratic principles. Shri Khan recalled that in ancient India, instead of hereditary monarchy, democratic systems prevailed, such as in Vaishali, where rulers were chosen by the people. He added that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar acknowledged the ancient heritage of Indian democracy during the drafting of the Constitution of India. He also spoke about the rich contribution of Bihar in the nations freedom struggle and the drafting of the Constitution, whose 75th anniversary is being celebrated across the nation.

Observing that the Constitution of India is not just a legal document but a symbol of the nation’s ideals and objectives also, Shri Khan said that it reflects the ancient Indian values and ideals that remain relevant and inspiring today. He enumerated the core Indian values of humanism and equality that are enshrined in the works of ancient Gurus like Adi Shankaracharya who spread spiritual unity across the nation. He added that the key values such as “Unity in Diversity” and “Fraternity, Equality, Justice” represent the core civilisational values of the nation. Drawing the analogy of the soul, Shri Khan said that India’s civilization, though ancient, is like the soul—eternal and unchanging—making it unique in the world. He urged legislative bodies to work together to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

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*In 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference, a resolution was adopted for barrier-free and systematic discussion and smooth communication among legislative institutions - Lok Sabha Speaker*

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*All legislative institutions should fulfil the dream of a developed India by 2047 by taking the country forward amidst dialogue, discussion, agreement and disagreement - Lok Sabha Speaker*

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*Parliament of India is ahead of all the parliaments of the world in using technology - Lok Sabha Speaker*

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*Parliament of India, Legislative Assemblies of all states and all other stakeholders should celebrate 75th anniversary of Constitution as a festival - Lok Sabha Speaker*

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*To establish uniform standards in parliamentary training, capacity building programs are being organized by PRIDE, the training institute of Parliament, for empowerment of all democratic institutions - Lok Sabha Speaker*

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Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said today that the tradition of barrier-free and systematic discussion and smooth communication should be maintained in the legislatures. Expressing concern over the decline in number of sittings, Lok Sabha Speaker said that it should be the endeavour of all the Presiding Officers that there should be no disruption in the Houses, despite agreement and disagreement. Our Houses should perform their functions in a better environment in the wider public interest so that we can contribute better to public service and good governance by better discharging our constitutional responsibilities through our Houses. Shri Birla expressed these views in the concluding session of the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference held in Patna.

Shri Birla noted that all the Presiding Officers have given creative ideas to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Constitution as a festival. He said that by involving the Parliament of India and the Legislative Assemblies of all the States,  Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Bodies, Cooperative Institutions, youth, women, students, professionals, NGOs, entrepreneurs, media and all the stakeholders of democracy, we will run campaigns and organize various programs to strengthen our great democracy in every corner of the country throughout the year.

Emphasizing on excellent research support for lawmakers, Shri Birla said that it is essential to have excellent research and reference wings in legislative bodies to build capacity and assist members. He said that we plan to set up a RESEARCH POOL in Lok Sabha for the State Assemblies/Legislative Councils so that the legislatures can also be provided the facility of RESEARCH SUPPORT by the Parliament.

Emphasizing on further strengthening the committee system in legislatures, Shri Birla mentioned that we have taken meaningful initiatives to strengthen the functioning of Parliamentary Committees in the Parliament of India. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE, ESTIMATE COMMITTEE and other committees are functioning in the legislatures of various states of the country. He further informed that this year, under the banner of AIPOC, TRAINING and CAPACITY BUILDING programs will also be organized for the committees of all the state legislatures.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision - "ONE NATION ONE LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM", Shri Birla said that unprecedented progress has been made in this direction in the last year. While the Parliament debates are being made available online by translating them in both Hindi and English, the state legislatures have also made remarkable progress in the digitization of their current and past debates. He expressed confidence that in the year 2025, as per the vision of the Honble Prime Minister, we will be able to provide such a unique PLATFORM to the citizens of India where they will be able to access not only the Parliament debates but also the debates taking place in the legislatures on any topic through KEY WORD, META DATA and AI EMPOWERED SEARCH.

The Lok Sabha Speaker highlighted that the Parliament of India is ahead of all the parliaments of the world in using technology. He informed that with the use of AI, simultaneous translation is being done in ten of the 22 official languages in the Parliament of India and soon this facility will be available to the members in all twenty-two languages. Stating that all types of parliamentary papers are being made available to the members in the Parliament of India in ten regional languages through Artificial Intelligence, Shri Birla expressed happiness that India is the only democracy in the world in which we are moving towards translating all the debates. Shri Birla informed the presiding officers that the Parliament of India will share technological tools with the state legislatures to improve their efficiency and productivity.

Shri Birla further said that it is the resolve of the presiding officers that we should continue to work for the empowerment of the Parliament of India, the legislatures of the states, Panchayati Raj institutions, urban bodies, cooperative institutions and all democratic institutions. He emphasized that the more the democratic institutions are strengthened - the more the active participation of the citizens of India will be ensured in the development and public welfare of the nation.

Shri Birla said that it should be our resolve that these legislative institutions should fulfill the dream of a developed India by 2047 by taking the country forward with discussion, dialogue, consensus and disagreement.

Praising the role of the PRIDE institution of the Lok Sabha Secretariat in training law makers and parliamentary officers across the world, Shri Birla said that through PRIDE we have organized training programs for the parliaments of more than 100 different nations and almost all state legislatures. We have organized special programs on Legislative Drafting for 25 state legislatures. Now, through PRIDE, we are also organizing training programs for the empowerment of Panchayati Raj institutions, urban bodies, cooperative institutions and all democratic institutions.

Shri Birla informed that in the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference, the Presiding Officers have adopted five important resolutions after extensive deliberations:

•Gratitude and tribute to the makers of the Constitution

•Resolution to run the House in accordance with the values and ideals enshrined in the Constitution.

•Resolution for barrier-free and systematic discussion and best communication in legislative institutions

•Resolution to run campaigns and programs throughout the year on completion of 75 years of the Constitution

•Resolution to ensure effective services using technology and AI

Appreciating the active participation of the presiding officers and sharing of best practices among them, Shri Birla said that the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) in Patna will be decisive in guiding the presiding officers to discharge their responsibilities more effectively and will strengthen democratic values. Shri Birla observed that sharing of information and experiences at the conference will inspire the Presiding Officers to innovate in their respective Houses leading to greater transparency and accountability in governance.

The agenda of the two-day Conference was: ‘75th Anniversary of the Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State Legislative Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Values’.

*NeVA inauguration*

On the occasion, Shri Birla also inaugurated NeVA Seva Kendra (NeVA) at Bihar Legislature Complex.

*Exhibition*

On the occasion of the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC), an exhibition on the glorious journey of democracy in India was put up by the Parliament Museum and Archives, Lok Sabha Secretariat.

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*Chairman of Bihar Legislative Council delivers Welcome Address*

Delivering Welcome Address, Shri Awdhesh Narayan Singh, Chairman of Bihar Legislative Council thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla for his guidance and inspirational presence. He thanked the President, the Prime Minister and Shri Om Birla for releasing the translated versions of the Constitution of India in Sanskrit and Maithili during the recently organised 10th Constitution Day celebrations in the Central Hall of Parliament. Speaking about the theme of the AIPOC, Shri Singh said that relations between the Centre and States may be discussed further with the goal of wider autonomy for the states, especially in relation to constitutional provisions. Noting that valuable time of the legislatures must be utilized for public welfare and legislative work, and not for creating political pressure, Shri Singh said that prioritizing public interest in the proceedings of the House is essential for public service. He also emphasised the integration of science and technology in the legislative and political processes. He praised the National E-Vidhan Application (NeVA), launched by the Prime Minister, for making parliamentary procedures more transparent and digital. He suggested that its application be expanded to include local bodies and panchayats.

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*Speaker,  Bihar Legislative Assembly addresses the Valedictory Session*

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On this occasion, Speaker, Bihar Legislative Assembly, Shri Nand Kishore Yadav said that the objective of this conference was not only to make our parliamentary processeses more effective and responsive but also to promote transparency and efficiency of our parliamentary system. He further said that in the past, various important topics such as improving the quality of legislative work, compliance of parliamentary code of conduct, and increasing the participation of women in legislatures have been discussed in this Presiding Officers Conference and this Conference will definitely provide guidance to the Presiding Officers to conduct the proceedings of the House more smoothly. This conference reminds us that all of us, at whatever level, are working towards the same goal - building a strong, transparent, and just democracy, Shri Yadav said. He also said that the challenges before us are not of any one person or organization, but we all have to find solutions to them together. We must ensure that our actions are consistent with the values and ideals of the Constitution, and that we retain the publics trust.

Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar, Shri Vijay Kumar Sinha also spoke on this occasion.

Deputy Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council, Shri Ramvachan Rai delivered Vote of Thanks.

The agenda of the Conference was:

‘75th Anniversary of Constitution:  Contribution of Parliament and State legislative bodies in strengthening constitutional values’.

During the two days discussion, 41 Presiding Officers from 23 Legislative Bodies participated in the discussion.

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