Lok Sabha Speaker Birla completes 4 yrs in office

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who completed four years in office on Monday, chaired a review session of the Chintan Shivir organised for officers and officials of the LS Secretariat in the Parliament House Complex.

Two phases of Chintan Shivir were organised in April and May of this year. It is a unique and pioneering initiative for facilitating meaningful and purposeful discussion and deliberations. The purpose is to reflect on administrative issues to keep the soul and mind of LS Secretariat officials fresh and to remain connected to the aspirations of the people.

Speaking on the occasion, Birla said the work culture at LS Secretariat should be such that the institution serves as a model for offices from around the nation.

The Speaker exhorted the employees of the Secretariat to serve as active participants in the process of change and improvement. He added that they must make the most of opportunities to improve themselves.



On this occasion, several achievements of the 17th LS, which completed four years on Monday, were also discussed, a statement said.

On productivity, the 17th LS has been historic for the several achievements and right decisions it has made so far, it said.

“Even Covid-19 could not deter the spirit of Members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and curtailment of Parliament sessions on many occasions, the first eleven sessions of 17th LS have 230 sittings which is higher than that of the 16th LS,” the release said.

During the first 11 sessions of the 17th LS, total of 169 Government Bills have been passed which is significantly higher in comparison to the first eleven sessions of the 15th and the 16th LS where 140 and 134 Government Bills were passed respectively, it said.

A total of 2405 times members participated in discussion over Government Bills. Women members participated 367 times, it added.

Productivity till the eleventh session of the 17th LS stands at 93.09 per cent which is higher than the corresponding period of the 14th, 15th and 16th LS.

“The percentage of replies to matters under Rule 377 during the 1st to the 11th Session of the 17th LS rose to 89.92 per cent as compared to 56.76 per cent and 43.87 per cent in the 15th and 16th LS respectively, during the corresponding period. It reflects the arduous efforts made by the Speaker to focus on good governance,” the release said.

During the last four years, Birla has made comprehensive efforts to ensure that people’s representatives have access to all the required necessities so they can participate in House processes in an effective manner, it said.

Effective monitoring and economy in expenditure has resulted in saving of Rs 801.46 crore under the budget grant of Lok Sabha/Lok Sabha Secretariat during the 17th LS (2019-2023) which is substantially higher than 14th, 15th and 16th LS.