E-Paper
UP assembly set to get new rulebook in monsoon session
New rulebook to provide for restricting the number of supplementary questions to two and bringing down the minimum period of notice to summon the house from 14 to seven days
LUCKNOW The Monsoon session from August 7 is set to see the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly adopt its new rulebook providing for restricting the number of supplementary questions to two and bringing down the minimum period of notice to summon the house from 14 to seven days.
The new rule book - The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the Business of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly 2023 - also has provisions to restrict the number of adjournment motions and petitions that a member can move/present in the House.
As per the proposal, the members may not be able to give more than one adjournment notice while the number of petitions a member may present in the House may be restricted to five under the proposed changes in rules.
The need to have a new rule book had been felt in view of use of electronic devices, including computer tablets by members, following te introduction of the National e-Vidhan Application, making proceedings of the House paperless in 2022. The state legislative assembly had been presenting a paperless budget too.
“Electronic devices are now in use in the House. There were no such devices in use in 1958 when rules of business of the House were formulated. We are incorporating various provisions keeping in view the use of electronic devices and live telecast of the proceedings. The business advisory committee of the House will meet here on August 6, and decide about the day for adoption of the new rule book,” said Satish Mahana, Speaker, UP Assembly.
UP assembly has a long history since the days of it being set up as the Legislative Council of North Western Provinces and Oudh on January 5, 1887, with nine nominated members. It was constituted in the present form in 1952. UP Assembly adopted The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the Business of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1958. This was the time when television was yet to be introduced to India. Television came to India in 1959. There had been live telecast of UP assembly’s proceedings for years now. In 2022, the House began using electronic devices, including computer tablets, on the desk of all members following the introduction of National e-Vidhan Application.
Principal secretary of the state legislative assembly Pradeep Dubey said the new rulebook will provide for uploading of answers to questions at the beginning of the question hour. As efforts had been made to simplify rules, various jargon used in the rulebook may become redundant.
Only a few amendments, with the last one carried out in 2019, were made in the rulebook worked out on the recommendations of a 12-member committee constituted to review the current rulebook.
