Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said that governments should take the reports of parliamentary committees in a constructive manner and not as a criticism of their functioning.
Addressing the valedictory session of the National Conference of Estimates Committees of Parliament and State/UT Legislative Bodies, Mr Birla said a strong view emerged during the deliberations that parliamentary committees do not work against the government but act as a guide.
“I believe that the governments should also take the reports of the parliamentary committees in a constructive manner. Officials should also take these reports seriously and ensure that action-taken reports are submitted in a timely manner,” Mr Birla said.
He said members who are part of the parliamentary committees have a rich experience of public service, which they share during such deliberations.
“Our founding fathers envisioned democracy as an exercise to understand the pulse of the people and their expectations from the government,” Mr Birla said, adding that people’s representatives have the duty to make efforts to ensure that these expectations and aspirations find a voice and ensure their fulfilment.
“Greater transparency in governance will lead to better functioning of the governments, be it at the Centre or the states,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said.
Mr Birla said the two-day conference organised to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Estimates Committee of Parliament also adopted a resolution to improve the oversight functions of the committee by fixing the minimum number of sittings.
At the conference, it was also agreed to standardise the number of reports and to provide capacity-building exercise and training programme to committee members to enhance their expertise in budget scrutiny and financial analysis.
Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan addressed the valedictory session that was attended by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, state legislative council chairman Ram Shinde and state legislative council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe among others.
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