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Latest News in India: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla laid special emphasis on holding public representatives accountable and bringing transparency into the functions of a public representative in a thriving democracy like India, at the same time as he laid out the inaugural speech of the 21st Annual Conference of CPA India Region, Zone III in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly.
“We are all responsible to the public as representatives of the public. We need not only so, but also need that we bring transparency,” said Birla.
About the great potential of the Northeast, he urged: “In a democracy like India, we are very competitive. We should be using this competitive spirit for the welfare of the people and adopt best practices.”
In democracy, there is enough space for dialogue, discussion, debate and dissent,” said Birla. Speaking on the role that can be played by the Chair, Lok Sabha Speaker said, “It is up to each one of us what legacy we want to live behind for the generations to come. It is our responsibility to see that the dignity of democratic institutions is protected.”.
Speaking on the first day of the two-day conference, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh went on for long periods in detailing all the work the Centre has done in the Northeast over the last ten years. While elaborating on the ‘theory of Konkan’, he said that more than Rs 50 lakh crore had been allotted besides the increase in the annual budget from Rs 25,000 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 1 lakh crore. “The development journey of the north-eastern states has been marred by geographical issues and legacy problems over the years. But it is well on the track now, especially with the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards making India Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.
He further emphasized that PM Modi has made an unprecedented 70 visits to the Northeast, making road and air connectivity possible. More than eight new airports have been opened in this region since 2014, and railways has also progressed in many ways. In 2022, Nagaland got its second railway station after a century. Now Nagaland can be connected with Guwahati of Assam. Vande Bharat trains have also become a reality in many states in this region.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma underscored the need for transparency in legislation. “Legislative sanctity refers to the integrity, credibility and inviolability of our laws and processes. It is the foundation upon which democratic governance stands. In a region as diverse and vibrant as Northeast India, fostering legislative sanctity is not just important; it is imperative,” he said.
“The legislative processes must be open, inclusive of diverse stakeholders such as civil society, the locality communities, and marginalized groups, and that civic education programs should exist to educate citizens on the rights and in the process of lawmaking.” “We need awareness campaigns empowering people to hold their representatives accountable and to interface actively with their legislators for solutions,” said CM.
A two-day conference with ‘Fostering the Legislative Sanctity’ as the central theme, along with discussions over inclusion of the Northeast Region in the India-ASEAN Vision for Trade and Cooperation and Merging the Ministry of DONER with NEC for better strategic planning and coordination of various projects in the region.
It functions as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association with membership for international, commonwealth countries’ parliaments and legislatures that come together to strengthen high standards of democratic governance and parliamentary systems within the Commonwealth. The CPA is one of the oldest organizations in the Commonwealth, founded in 1911. With more than 180 legislatures that have grouped themselves into nine geographical regions in the 54 Commonwealth countries, the federation is well established.
This allows MPs and parliamentary staff to collaborate on mutual concerns and learn from one another on best practices. So far, 20 Regional Conferences have been conducted in the Northeastern States covering the activities carried out by the North Eastern Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (NERCPA) and CPA Zone-III. CPA North East Region has been running this regional Conference since 1997.
