Mahana calls for uniform rules for legislative assemblies

Lucknow: UP Assembly speaker Satish Mahana on Tuesday stressed the need for uniformity in the functioning and rulebooks of legislative assemblies across the country to make parliamentary proceedings more effective, transparent and people-centric.

Speaking at a meeting of presiding officers in Mysuru, which concluded on Tuesday, Mahana said that a common framework for legislative functioning was essential in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “One Nation, One Legislative Platform.”

The high-level committee meeting was held with the objective of making legislative traditions and procedures more effective, modern and uniform. The deliberations were held on the theme, “Uniform Model for the Functioning, Procedures and Rules of Legislative Bodies.”

Mahana said the committee, constituted on the initiative of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, was working towards developing a model framework that could help bring all state legislatures onto a common platform. He added that unnecessary disparities in legislative procedures and rules should be removed and a standardised system should be evolved for all legislative bodies in the country.

The speaker further noted that a shared model would help address challenges faced by various assemblies more effectively.

Expressing concern over the possible misuse of artificial intelligence (AI), Mahana said technology should be used to strengthen democratic institutions rather than undermine them.

He also underlined the need for legislatures to engage more closely with the public so that citizens can better understand how assemblies function and the role they play in democracy.

Mahana suggested that all legislative assemblies prepare draft proposals based on their experiences and recommendations so that a final framework can be discussed and approved at the next meeting.