Indore: Assembly speakers demand autonomy for their secretariats

In a bid to break free from government control and bureaucratic red tape, assembly speakers have demanded autonomy for their secretariats, similar to what Lok Sabha secretariat has.

In a bid to break free from government control and bureaucratic red tape, the assembly speakers have demanded autonomy for their secretariats, similar to what Lok Sabha secretariat has.

A-meeting-of-sub-committee-of-All-India-Speakers-conference-underway-in-Indore-on-Monday-Arun-Mondhe-HT-photo

With this objective, the two-day meeting of sub-committee of all India assembly speakers’ conference began in Indore on Monday.

The deliberations at the two-day meeting are a curtain raiser of what is likely to follow in the all India state assembly speakers’ conference to be held in Lucknow next month.

The key point on which sub-committee members deliberated during Monday’s meeting was that secretariat of the state assembly speakers should get administrative and financial rights in accordance with spirit of Indian Constitution.

“At present, we have to get approval from the state government to appoint staff, hold events, undertake projects in our secretariat. We want to do away with this as it causes unnecessary delays,” sub-committee convener and Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker A Chakrapani told media after the meeting on Monday.

On most occasions, the respective state finance department objects to financial permission sought by the secretariat of assembly speaker for holding events or on salaries, perks of the staff to be appointed. This irks assembly speakers.

Bihar assembly speaker Udai Narayan Choudhary said assembly speakers have been holding deliberation on the autonomy of secretariat of the assembly speakers for long. At the meeting, discussions also hovered around on Right To Information (RTI) Act.

Those present at the sub-committee meeting included MP assembly speaker Sitaram Sharma, Harayana assembly speaker Kanwal Pal, Sikkim assembly speaker K N Rai besides Chakrapani and Chaudhary.

The sub-committee members, during their two-day stay will visit Ujjain, Omakareshwar, Maheshwar and historical places. The sub-committee has been formed by the Lok Sabha Speaker and Indore MP Sumitra Mahajan.