Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 4 Ahead of the Winter session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said agreements and disagreements are part of the democratic process but fruitful debates must take place in Parliament.
Birla said all debates and discussions must take place without any disruptions in Parliament.
“There should be fruitful debates. Agreements and disagreements are part of democracy. Only meaningful discussions can resolve all disagreements,” he told reporters here on the sidelines of the Conference of Chairpersons of the Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and State and Union Territory Legislatures.
The Winter session of Parliament is likely to begin either this month-end or early next month.
Asked about the possibility of the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls figuring in the parliamentary debate, Birla said it is the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) which will decide the issues to be discussed in the House.
When asked whether he has received any notice for the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the speaker replied in negative.
With the opposition continuing their protests against the SIR and sought resignation of CEC Kumar, the Winter session is expected to be stormy.
Earlier, addressing the valedictory session of the two-day conference, Birla said it is essential to ensure that allocated government funds are utilised properly and that increased budgetary allocations translate into the desired outcomes.
He said it is evident that investments are increasing across sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, social welfare and rural development.
Consequently, the speaker said, the size of public expenditure and budgetary allocations is also increasing.
“The success of any scheme depends on continuous monitoring by legislative committees to ensure that the budget allocated for a particular purpose is actually utilised for that purpose,” he said.
Birla said whether it concerns infrastructure quality, timely completion of projects or ensuring that the benefits of social welfare schemes reach eligible beneficiaries at the right time, all these aspects require proper evaluation.
“In a democracy, when we come together for deliberations, there is an exchange of experiences, working methodologies and best practices among the committees of the Centre and the states,” he said.
Birla said such exchanges strengthen the functioning and institutional capacity of our committees and they also provide valuable guidance in effectively examining CAG reports and ensuring the time-bound settlement of their recommendations.
He said with the changing administrative landscape, technology is playing an increasingly important role in governance.
“We must explore how technology can be effectively utilised by our committees to make their functioning more efficient, transparent and result-oriented,” he said.
The speaker said all concerned should share one common vision and resolve: “public money must be utilised in the larger public interest”.
He said the common sentiment reflected in the two-day deliberations is that every rupee of public money must be planned, allocated and utilised transparently and accountably.
“We must collectively examine how our committees can strengthen accountability within the Executive,” he said.
In this regard, Birla said the conference assumes particular significance.
“One of our major concerns has been the need to improve parliamentary scrutiny and follow-up mechanisms after the completion of audits,” he said.
The speaker and chairpersons and members of the committees from various states have also highlighted a serious concern: audit reports often remain pending for a prolonged period without appropriate action.
“We must establish accountability in this regard. The Executive is responsible for implementing programmes, while the legislature is responsible for reviewing and monitoring their implementation. This is our collective responsibility and resolve,” he said.
A collective resolution was also adopted at the conference with the cooperation and participation of all delegates.
Birla said the resolution adopted will serve as a guiding framework for the PACs to strengthen financial discipline, transparency and accountability.
“Our collective commitment is to ensure that every rupee of public money is managed and utilised in a transparent and accountable manner for public welfare,” he said.
The speaker said there is a need to further improve the process of parliamentary scrutiny and review following audits, ensuring effective monitoring and timely compliance with PAC recommendations.
(PTI News)
