Om Birla inaugurates 85th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference in Patna

Patna, Jan 20 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday inaugurated the 85th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) here, with participants deliberating on the adoption of modern technologies in legislative bodies for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav said the conference is aimed at strengthening democracy, and promoting dialogue and coordination among public representatives.

Yadav said this was the third time the state was hosting the event, after a hiatus of 43 years (1964 and 1982).

The Lok Sabha Speaker, in his remarks at the inaugural function, expressed concern over the decreasing number of sittings of legislative bodies, and urged presiding officers to make efforts to address the issue.

His comments came amid reports that the Delhi Assembly held a mere 74 sittings in its entire five-year tenure.

Birla also flagged planned disruptions in Parliament and state assemblies, and urged political parties to draft guidelines for maintaining the dignity of the House.

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

“The land of Bihar is considered to be the centre of cultural, historical and intellectual heritage of India. This land has given birth to the compassion of Lord Buddha, the non-violence of Mahavira and the courage of Guru Govind Singh. This is the land where Chanakya wrote his classic treatise on polity and emperor Ashoka gave the message of morality,” said Yadav.

Addressing the session, Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council, Awdhesh Narayan Singh, said the state is honoured to host the AIPOC after four decades.

Noting that the Lok Sabha Speaker has been working tirelessly to strengthen democracy and promote dialogues among democratic institutions, he opined that Birla’s leadership as AIPOC chairman has guided the presiding officers in discharging their responsibilities.

Singh hoped that the debates and discussions during the two-day conference will help the legislatures and the presiding officers in efficient functioning.

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said Bihar has always played a crucial role in the overall development of the country.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is set to become a developed nation in the coming years… and Bihar’s role will be important in that context,” he said.

The state government is also preparing to set up a centre of excellence – Vikramshila University, the deputy CM added.

The valedictory session will be addressed by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Birla on Tuesday.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, skipped the inaugural day of the conference.

The 85th AIPOC was preceded by the 61st Conference of Secretaries of Legislative Bodies in India on January 19 in Patna.