At the ongoing All India Presiding Officers Conference in Lucknow, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani shared insights with IANS on revitalizing India’s democratic frameworks. He underscored the need for prolonged assembly sittings, heightened legislator involvement, and tech integration to fortify governance.
‘Extended house proceedings enable real solutions to people’s problems,’ Devnani stated firmly. Discussions at AIPOC focus on streamlining assembly conduct nationwide.
Consensus emerged on two fronts: mandating minimum session days to prioritize citizen-centric debates and legislation, and enhancing participation through better attendance, structured dialogues, and pre-session preparations on bills.
Short sessions plague most states, with opposition voices growing louder. The 60-day benchmark is aspirational yet elusive, hinging on cooperative environments. Rajasthan’s innovation of all-party huddles is showing promise amid frequent adjournments from chaos.
Preventing pandemonium requires proactive deadlock-breaking, like Speaker-room negotiations between leaders. Public-issue stalemates resolve quicker than partisan ones, but communication is key.
Presiding over impartial proceedings amid fluid political roles is increasingly tough. Devnani called for more forums for joint talks and personal discipline standards.
Rajasthan leads in digital transformation: paperless operations via iPads (80%+ adoption), e-signatures in committees, digitized admin processes, a high-tech historical museum since 1952, and instant digital speech archives for MLAs.
While core duties—budgeting, questioning, legislating—proceed, the push is for substantive, extended discussions to mirror public expectations.
To the electorate: Stay engaged with your representatives over full terms. This mutual connection will inherently boost legislative responsibility.
