Being a venue to solve people’s concerns, the legislature must be a place of unrestricted discourse, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday at the opening of the 19th Annual Zone III Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in Gangtok, Sikkim.
“As a platform for solving people’s concerns, the legislature must be a place of unimpeded discourse without disruption, which will boost people’s faith in democratic institutions and so strengthen our democracy,” he stated.
Relating to Digital Parliament, Birla stated that the work of the legislature is being brought to the people with the use of technology; social media has also emerged as a significant communication tool. He advocated for greater citizen participation in the lawmaking process so that laws can reflect the ambitions and aspirations of the populace.
Formerly known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an organisation that seeks to promote good governance, democracy, and human rights.
From Assam in the east to Gujarat in the west, the CPA India Region is comprised of a total of 31 legislatures. India has the second-largest number of CPA member branches, behind the Africa Area.
Commenting on the topic of cyberbullying, which was the second theme of the conference, Birla stated that it was one of the bad repercussions of digitalisation, and he hoped that the insights that would emerge from the conference would lead to better cyberbullying solutions.
Birla went on to discuss drug misuse and its solutions, as well as how the issue affected the country’s youth, not just in the North East region.
Referring to the in-depth debates held in Parliament on the 20th and 21st of December last year, Birla stated, “Following a detailed and in-depth discussion on this topic, it became clear that members (of Parliament) must conduct a nationwide public awareness campaign to educate the youth. I challenged everyone to work collaboratively to eliminate India’s growing drug usage problem and work towards a drug-free India.”
Regarding the economic potential of the North Eastern states, Birla stated that there were enormous opportunities in the fields of tourism, renewable energy, organic farming, and handicrafts. He also suggested that a strategy be devised to link the skills of the North Eastern population with the national and international markets in order to ensure the prosperity of the entire region.
Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, Speakers of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim Legislative Assembly, and head of CPA India Region, Zone – III, Pasang D. Sona, were also in attendance.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the entire North East area has experienced amazing and far-reaching transformations. Currently, the North East region has transitioned from a political platform to a developmental platform. Infrastructure development, such as Multi-Modal Connectivity, can lead to extraordinary growth in the state and region. Similarly, there is advancement and development in every other aspect,” Birla stated.
Prior to his arrival, Birla reviewed the Sikkim Legislative Assembly’s Guard of Honour.
