xvii - lok sabha

XVIIth Lok Sabha in the service of the Nation

The Parliament of a nation is a living embodiment of the faith of the people

in a democratic polity and an affirmation of commitment to participation in the

governance process. The Houses of Parliament are thus hallowed institutions that

represent the sovereign will of the people and are mandated by the Constitution to

guide the destiny of the nation. It is therefore critical that all efforts are made to

provide Members with a congenial and enabling environment for their effective

participation in the business of the Houses of Parliament and in the discharge of

their roles as representatives of the people.

Meaningful and effective participation of Members in the business of Lok

Sabha is the cornerstone of strong and vibrant democracy, that is India. In

furtherance of this cause, the Lok Sabha under the stewardship of Hon'ble Speaker,

Shri Om Birla, has in the last two years, endeavored to provide all Members with

the comfort and assurance of an enabling environment in the House that is

conducive for free and fair debates and discussions as is cherishable in a

parliamentary democracy.

Under the guidance of Hon'ble Speaker, a series of steps have been taken

for sensitive handling of all matters that may contribute to improvement in ease in

participation for the Members in House proceedings. These measures include

necessary facilitation to all members in terms of improved research support,

proactive library services, welfare and housing, prompt medical assistance, etc. In

addition, digital tools are being promoted to help bring greater efficiency and

transparency in the functioning of the Lok Sabha. The slew of measures have

proved timely and well-conceived in the face of unprecedented challenges posed

by Covid-19 pandemic for the best part of the past two years, given the better

performance and productivity in the XVIIth Lok Sabha when compared with the

previous years.

The journey of the current Lok Sabha, I am sure will continue to serve as a

benchmark in the times to come. The high standards of performance will

undoubtedly enthuse Members of this and future Lok Sabhas to set higher goals in

the service of their constituents, i.e., the people of India and in the process

strengthen the faith of our people in the Parliament of India and our democratic

polity.

The First Two Years

(Secretary-General)

Lok Sabha

Fig.1

• The average productivity of work during the first Five

Sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha stands at 122.2%

• This is one of the highest in recent years.

3

GREATER PARTICIPATION, HIGHER

PRODUCTIVITY

The 17th Lok Sabha which was constituted on 25 May 2019 held its first sitting on 17 June 2019. So far

five Sessions have been held. The fruits of tireless effort put in by Hon’ble Speaker in building consensus

among political parties and Members to work overtime and ensure smooth functioning of the sittings is

evident from the higher work productivity which has been the hallmark of the current Lok Sabha.

Hon’ble Members worked till late night in the House even in challenging circumstances of Corona

pandemic. As a result, the average performance during the first 5 sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha has been

122.2%, which is the highest in recent years. (Fig. 1)

52

66

10093

105

68

103

84

71

87

66

10398

116

47

125115

90

167

114

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

First Session Second Session Third Session Fourth Session Fifth Session

Wo

rk P

rod

uct

ivit

y in

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Work Productivity during the first 5 Sessions of 14th, 15th, 16th & 17th Lok Sabha (in precentage)

14th Lok Sabha 15th Lok Sabha 16th Lok Sabha 17th Lok Sabha

Work Productivity during the first 5 Sessions of 14th, 15th, 16th & 17th Lok Sabha (in Percentage)

Work Productivity

Fig.2

• 114 sittings in first five sessions of 17th Lok Sabha.

• This is Higher than the sittings held in first five

sessions of 14th , 15th & 16th Lok Sabhas ( Fig 2).

• Duration of sittings during first five sessions of 17th

Lok Sabha i.e. 712.93 hours

• Higher than the hours spent in 14th , 15th & 16th Lok

Sabhas.

4

Fruits of Consensus -

More Sittings, Higher Productivity

With the collective efforts of honorable members and cooperation of all political parties, a

favorable working environment was created in the 17th Lok Sabha. It was only due to the active

participation of the members that high performance could be ensured in the house even during

the time of corona pandemic. As a result, in the first five sessions of the present Lok Sabha, a

total of 114 sittings of the House were held and the proceedings of the House continued for a

total of 712.93 hours. This is a higher performance than 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha.

2 Years of XVIIth Lok Sabha

Minimal time of the House has been lost due to interruptions/adjournments since Hon'ble

Speaker of Lok Sabha assumed office. So far only 73 hours and 44 minutes have been

wasted in the 17th Lok Sabha as in comparison to 112 hours 29 minutes during the 14th

Lok Sabha and 170 hours 25 minutes during the 15th Lok Sabha.

Election as Speaker A New Beginning

• The House sat an unprecedented 480 hours during

the first Session of the 17th Lok Sabha.

• During these 37 sittings, no time was lost due to

interruptions/ adjournments.

5

Hon'ble speaker Lok Sabha accepting the

greetings of the Members after been elected

Because of constant efforts of Hon’ble Speaker after assuming the Office on

performance. So far 107 bills have been passed in five sessions with wide

participation of honorable members and the productivity of the house has

been 122%.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, and other

Members greeting the Speaker.

19 June 2019, the House functioned smoothly with unprecedented

The primary mandate of Parliament in a constitutional democracy like India, is to legislate laws

for governance of the nation. In this respect the 17th Lok Sabha under the sagacious guidance of

Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla has been one of the most productive in recent times.

The superior Legislative productivity with respect to the introduction and passing of

Government Bills during the first five sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha are clearly evident in the

following (Fig.3)

PRIMACY TO LAW MAKING

67

82

71

102

6068

61

107

0

20

40

60

80

100

120First 5 Sessions (14th -17th Lok Sabha)

14th Lok Sabha 15th Lok Sabha 16th Lok Sabha 17th लLok Sabha

Fig. 3 .

6

Government Bills Introduced Government Bills Passed

The First Session of the 17th Lok Sabha witnessed a record

33 Government Bills being introduced and 35 Government

Bills passed, which was the highest for any first session of

any Lok Sabha. The House discussed Government Bills for

approx. 124 hours & 40 minutes.

During the Second Session of the 17th Lok Sabha 18

Government Bills were introduced and 14 Government

Bills were passed by the House. The House devoted

approximately 54 hours and 31 minutes on discussing

Government Bills.


PRIMACY TO LAW MAKING

7

During the Third Session of the 17th Lok Sabha also, 18

Government Bills were introduced and 15 Government

Bills were passed. 14 hours and 53 minutes were spent on

Government Bills.

107 Government Bills were passed during the first

five sessions of 17th Lok Sabha which is a great

achievement.

During the Fourth Session of Seventeenth Lok

Sabha, 16 Government Bills were introduced and

25 Government Bills were passed. 33 hours and 24

minutes time was spent on Government Bills

During the Fifth Session of Seventeenth Lok

Sabha, 17 Government Bills were introduced and

18 Government Bills were passed. 35 hours and 5

minutes time was spent on Government Bills

Fig. 4

496

709

825

1744

82.88 100.12 132.38

262.55

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

14th Lok Sabha 15th Lok Sabha 16th Lok Sabha 17th Lok Sabha

• An enabling environment was created in the 17th Lok Sabha created by Hon’ble

Speaker for participation of Members in the conduct of legislative business of the

house.

• This was very evident from the number of Members who spoke on Government Bills

and the total time devoted to the discussions.

• The data reveals a staggering increase in the participation of Members and the

duration of discussion time during the first five Sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha when

compared to the corresponding periods of the earlier Three Lok Sabhas (Fig. 4)

UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE IN THE PARTICIPATION

OF MEMBERS

In the 17th Lok Sabha, there has been maximum

participation of honorable members in legislative business.

There was a total participation of 1744 in the discussion on

government bills in the first five Sessions of the 17th Lok

Sabha.

No of times members spoke on government Bill

Time take in Hours

8


• 5.37 Questions answered orally ( average per siting ) in the 17th

Lok Sabha

• This was the HIGHEST numbers so far in comparison to

corresponding period of 14th , 15th & 16th Lok Sabha.

Fig.5

9

Recognising that Question Hour is one of the

potent instruments available to the Members of

Lok Sabha to enforce Executive accountability,

Hon'ble Speaker ensured that maximum number

of questions by Members are accommodated

during Question Hour for oral and written

answers. There has been a considerable increase

in the number of Questions orally answered in

the House. Over the period spanning from 14th

Lok Sabha to 17th Lok Sabha, while the average

of oral answers per sitting figures was 3.07, 2.96

& 4.34 during 14th, 15th & 16th Lok Sabha

respectively, the corresponding average figure

rose to 5.37 during 17th Lok Sabha. (Fig.5)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

14th Lok Sabha 15th Lok Sabha 16th Lok Sabha 17th Lok Sabha(upto 5th Session)

3.07 2.96

4.34

5.37

Questions Orally answered (Average per Sitting)

Question Hour: Enforcing Executive Accountability

Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha , Shri Om Birla

in the Chair.

Fig. 6

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

14th Lok Sabha

15th Lok Sabha

16th Lok Sabha

17th Lok Sabha (upto 5th Session)

321.25

333.75

373.25

394.25

Average Number of Members whose Questions were

Admitted Per Sitting

Rise in Number of Questions Admitted.

In the same manner, the average number of Members whose Questions were

admitted per sitting during the first five sessions of the 14th, 15th & 16th Lok

Sabha was 321.25, 333.75 and 373.25 respectively, whereas the corresponding

average figure rose considerably to 394.25 during the 17th Lok Sabha . (Fig. 6)

The average number of members whose questions

were admitted was the HIGHEST i.e. 394.25 in 17th

Lok Sabha in comparison to 14th , 15th & 16th Lok

Sabhas.

2 Years of XVIIth Lok Sabha10

The percentage of replies to Members of Lok Sabha on matters under Rule 377 of the Rules of

Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha by Ministers in the Union Government

witnessed an exponential increase during the 17th Lok Sabha. The percentage of replies by

Ministers during the current Lok Sabha was considerably higher at 89.82% when compared to

72.17% in 15th and 58.44% in 16th Lok Sabha respectively. This is also a measure of success of

the Lok Sabha in securing the cooperation of the Executive through rigorous monitoring by

Hon’ble Speaker in matters of public importance raised in the House under the Rules.

Matters related to Rule 377: New Initiatives By Hon’ble Speaker

Fig.7

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

15th Lok Sabha 16th Lok Sabha 17th Lok Sabha

72.17%58.44%

89.82%

Percentage of replies of Matters raised/laid under Rule 377 during the First 5

Sessions

(From 15th - 17th Lok Sabha)

• Matters can now be raised on all FIVE days i.e. from Monday to Friday while it

was only for four days a week.

• Rigorous and regular follow up with Govt. Ministries/Departments are now

made with a aim to receive action taken on seen matters in time bound manner.

• Approved text of matter under Rule 377 is provided to Hon’ble Members

electronically through Member's Portal one day in advance.

• The development of software for electronic management of the various processes,

including receipt of replies from the ministries for matters raised/laid under Rule 377

is operational now.

Enforcing Executive Accountability-Rule 377

89.82% replies received from Ministers on matters

raised under Rule 377 were much higher in 17th Lok

Sabha in comparison to first five Sessions of 14th ,

15th & 16th Lok Sabhas.

11

The Zero Hour affords Members an unique opportunity to raise matters of urgent Public

Importance and bring them to the notice of the Executive. The Zero Hour is therefore

cherished by the Members. Recognising the importance of Zero Hour, Hon'ble Speaker has

taken great pains to afford opportunities to maximum number of MPs to raise matters in the

House even if it meant extending the sitting time of the Lok Sabha.

Fig. 8

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

14th Lok Sabha

15th Lok Sabha

16th Lok Sabha

17th Lok Sabha

9.86

9.27

24.19

29.72

Matters of Urgent Public Importance raised during

Zero Hour(Average/per day/First 5 Sessions)

Accommodating Maximum Numbers of Members During

Zero Hour

• The first 5 sessions of 17th Lok Sabha witnessed 3389

Matters of Urgent Public Importance averaging 29.72

matters per day.

• This is considerably higher than the average of

9.86,9.27 & 24.19 matters raised per day during the

corresponding period in the 14th, 15th & 16th Lok

Sabhas respectively.


ZERO HOUR: Major Milestones during the 17th Lok Sabha

The development of software for management and further follow up

of matters raised during Zero Hour is at its final stage. It will help

electronic management of the various processes including receipt of

replies from the ministries on matters raised during the Zero Hour.

The highest number of Matters raised

in one session in the history of Lok

Sabha.

1066 matters during 1st Session.

The highest number of Matters raised

on an average per day in the history of

Lok Sabha.

47 matters on an average per day

during 2nd Session.

Record time devoted to Zero Hour. 24 hours and 41 minutes,

averaging 1 hour and 14 minutes

on an average per day were

devoted in 2nd Session

Record number of matters raised in

First Year of any Lok Sabha.

2436 matters were raised during

First Year of 17th Lok Sabha.

The highest number of matters raised

in Fifth Session of any Lok Sabha.

583 matters were raised in 5th

Session of 17th Lok Sabha, the

highest as compared to 5th

Session of all previous Lok

Sabhas.

161 members raised matters on 18 July 2019 during

Zero Hour, the Highest on A Single Day.

13

Consequent upon direction by Hon’ble Speaker for the achievement of 100% receipt of

Questions through e-notices, the receipt of e-notices has increased from 44.22% in the last

Session of 16th Lok Sabha to 90.36% during the 5th Session of 17th Lok Sabha.

‘Member’s Participation in the Business of the House’ link has been created on Lok Sabha

homepage from the 3rd Session of the 17th Lok Sabha and information about Member’s

participation during Question Hour is now available under this link from the 1st Session of the

17th Lok Sabha.

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

16th Lok Sabha (LastSession) 17th Lok Sabha (5th

Session)

44.22%

90.36%

Receipt of E-notices of Questions

• With effect from the 1st Session of 17th Lok Sabha, e-replies to Starred Questions are

being provided on Members’ e-Portal at 09:00 hrs. Earlier these replies were being

provided at 10:00 hrs, Hon’ble Members now get more time to study the replies and

prepare for supplementary questions during Question Hour.

• SMS alerts about the questions of Hon’ble Members listed for the day has been

started from the 2nd Part of 5th Session of 17th Lok Sabha.

Fig. 09

Parliamentary Steps Towards Digital Footprints


Achieving 90.36% of the receipt of E-Notice of

questions from members in 5th session of 17th Lok

Sabha is much Higher then E- Notices i.e. 44.2%

received in last session of 16th Lok Sabha.

14

Extraordinary Measures to Deal with the

Extraordinary Covid-19 Situation

During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic times, the

House sat late night following COVID-19 protocol and

completed record Legislative and other Business.

• To ensure social distance, seats were allotted to Alliances/ Parties in both Lok

Sabha and Rajya Sabha Chambers/ Galleries and Members were advised to

sit only at the marked seats.

• Arrangements were made for the two Houses to run in two separate shifts;

Rajya Sabha from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and Lok Sabha from 3.00 pm to

7.00 pm, during the 4th Session of 17th Lok Sabha.

• Audio and video system between the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Chambers

and their Galleries were integrated and synchronised along with

interpretation facility.

• Seats were provided with sound consoles, ear phones and microphones were

placed in Lok Sabha Galleries.

• LED screens were also placed in Rajya Sabha Chamber & Galleries of Lok

Sabha & Rajya Sabha.

• Polycarbonate sheets were installed between rows and seats in the Lok Sabha

Chamber to create a physical barrier between the seats.

• Sensor based Sanitizer Dispensing Machines and water dispensers along with

disposable paper glasses were provided at appropriate places.

Members wearing mask in Parliament House 14th September, 2020.Despite COVID-19, the productivity of the House was 167%

in the fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha, which is historic.

15

Hon’ble MPs wearing mask in Parliament House.

A new Direction limiting thenumber of amendments to theMotion of Thanks and CutMotions on a Demand to Tenhas been issued to furtherstreamline the ParliamentaryPractice.

HON'BLE SPEAKER,

LOK SABHA, SH. OM BIRLA

A new Direction limiting aMember to introduce notmore than 3 Private Member'sBills during a Session has beenissued to take up more PrivateMembers’ Bills forconsideration.

To ensure moretransparency, ballots ofNotices are now held inthe presence of 2Members of Lok Sabha &1 Officer of Lok SabhaSecretariat of the rank ofDirector.

Regular communicationwith Ministries /Departments to obtaincomplete responses inHouse related matters.

Communication to MPsthrough I & CC regardinginformation about issueof Summons and tablingof Notices etc.

Procedural Innovations & Initiatives under the

Directions of Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha


EFFECTIVE FINANCIAL SET UP IN PARLIAMENT

As part of the mission of Hon’ble Speaker during the past two years to improve

efficiency, transparency, prudence in public expenditure, accountability and expansion of

digital footprint in the functioning of the Secretariat several steps were taken which have

not only reduced lead time in many of the routine activities related to financial

management but have been responsible for considerable financial savings.

• Hon'ble Speaker, volunteered to reduce his salary, constituency,

allowances, Daily Allowance and sumptuary allowances by 30 % for

one year ( from 01-04-2020 to 31-3-2021 )

• 30% Reduction in salary of MPs due to COVID-19 ( from 01-04-2020 to

31-3-2021 )

*Figures in Crore

As an initiative towards economizing usage of paper and improving

efficiency, electronic versions of Form 16 are being issued to all

employees w.e.f. financial year 2020-21. This initiative has been

productive in saving 25000 pages annually

Monitoring of expenditure resulted in savings

17th Lok Sabha

2019-20 2020-21

151.44 249.54

Hon’ble Members of Parliament contributed their salaries to the PM-

CARES Fund during the COVID-19 period and volunteered for a

reduction of 30% in their salaries and allowances for one year.

17

STEPS FOR THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS OF

PARLIAMENT

It has always been the endeavor of Hon'ble Speaker Shri Om Birla to provide basic amenities

to our parliamentarians to enable them to participate in the House proceedings without any

let or hindrance and represent their constituencies effectively. The vision of Hon’ble Speaker

has resulted in improvement of existing residential/ logistic facilities and addition of new

amenities for Hon'ble Members.

• Duplex flats – On 19th August 2019, Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurated 36 duplex flats

for the Hon’ble Members of Parliament at North Avenue. The work on next phase of

redevelopment of North Avenue has also been initiated .

• Flats at Dr BD Marg –Through the tireless efforts and personal monitoring of Hon’ble

Speaker, 76 flats have been constructed for Members of Parliament and inaugurated by

PM on 23.11.2020.

• Redevelopment Project at B.K. Singh Marg –Foreseeing the increase in the number of

Members of Parliament under delimitation plan of Lok Sabha constituencies in future,

construction of 184 houses (Type-VII) for the use of Hon’ble MPs has been planned.

• Transit Accommodation – Creation of transit accommodation for newly elected MPs in

the newly constructed Western Court Annexe has helped Members of Parliament to settle

down soon and at the same time helped make significant reduction to the tune of approx.

Rs.22 crores in the expenditure on Transit accommodation.

• Multipurpose Hall in Western Court Annexe – A Multipurpose Hall has been provided at

the Western Court Annexe for the use of the Hon’ble MPs.

• Several purposeful steps taken to ensure faster allotment of residential accommodation to

Members of Lok Sabha .

Residential Facilities


Flats at Dr BD Marg, inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime

Minister Sh. Narendra Modi on 23th November, 2020

through Virtual Conference in the presence of Hon'ble

Speaker.

Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi

inaugurated Duplex flats of North Avenue on 19th

August 2019.

18

• Information and Communication Centre (ICC) - On the initiative of Hon'ble

Speaker, a round the clock ICC has been setup to provide information and facilitation to

Hon’ble Members

• About 99,850 calls and 51,200 SMS/messages have been made to Hon’ble

Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) since the Inception of ICC including

more than 15,000 calls during the period of Lockdown in 2020 conveying

important information. So far about 2000 calls have been received from

Hon’ble MPs on various issues.

• The Party Leaders are informed of Bills that are listed for consideration and

discussion in Lok Sabha and ‘List of Business’ for the next day.

• ICC conveys important and urgent information to Members during Session as

well in Inter-Session period.

• Special provisions during Lockdown - On the initiative of Hon'ble Speaker, the

Landline numbers of I&CC were immediately configured with the mobile number of

officers to provide Hon’ble Members round-the-clock support. Hon’ble Members and

their staff have also contacted I&CC in case of medical emergency in respect of

Hon’ble Member as well as for COVID related Assistance.

• Comprehensive Database for Covid-related exigencies- On the initiative of Hon'ble

Speaker, apart from the contact numbers of Hon'ble Members, phone numbers of

Member’s PS/PA, and staff have been maintained in the data base for quick

transmission of information.

• ‘Committees’ using ICT – The Parliamentary Committees have been encouraged to

use SMS, e-portal for circulation of all information related to sitting, circulation of

agenda papers including background notes, draft reports, PPT etc.

Use of I.C.T.

With a view to do away with subsidy and improve the overall quality of catering services, at

the initiative of Hon'ble Speaker, the catering service in Parliament House complex was

handed over to ITDC. No food subsidy is provided to ITDC. With this shift a substantial

amount of nearly rupees 8 to 9 crore of the exchequer is being saved and the kitchen’s

electrical gadgets and other catering items have been upgraded.

INTRODUCING QUALITATIVE CATERING SERVICES IN

PARLIAMENT HOUSE COMPLEX

19

A historic initiative was taken during the XVII Lok Sabha to commence construction of a

New Parliament Building on 10th December, 2020. This new building will be equipped with

state of the art technology to meet the demands of our 21st century Parliamentarians. In

addition, this new parliament building will have sufficient space to enhance the ease of

participation in House proceedings even with the likely increase in the number of MPs after

the delimitation of Parliament Constituencies in the near future. Special attention has been

paid to conservation of energy, reduction of water consumption, reuse and recycling of wastes

and retention of indigenous architectural features. The new parliament building will be ready

for the 75th Anniversary of India's Independence in 2022.

A NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING FOR 21ST

CENTURY INDIA

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

laying the foundation stone of

the new Parliament Building on

10th December 2020 .

Hon'ble Prime Minister and

Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha and

other dignitaries unveiling a

plaque to commemorate the

occasion. 10th December 2020.

Inner View of New Parliament House.

Paperless Secretariat is proposed to be created in New

Parliament Building.


View of the proposed New Parliament House.20

21

Lok Sabha transacts a great deal of its business through Committees which not only perform

oversight functions over the Executive, but also provide valuable guidance in policy and

legislative matters. The role of Parliamentary Committees is critical in the management and

running of the House. Hon’ble Speaker, Shri Om Birla has taken keen interest in the

functioning of the Committees and made constant efforts at strengthening of the Committee

System.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES-MINI

PARLIAMENTS

Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla with the members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC ).

Hon'ble Speaker has stressed on effective functioning of the Committees

through the following suggestions

• Selection of subject should be done keeping in view the needs and

aspirations of common citizens.

• Committee Branches should focus on greater participation and attendance

of Members during the sittings of the Committees.

• The Committee Branches should undertake deep-dive research on the

subjects selected and ensure that draft reports are comprehensive,

exhaustive and professional.

• Committee and Committee Branches should intensely follow-up with the

concerned Ministries/Departments for effective implementation of the

recommendations.

22

Committee Sitting

Notwithstanding the fact that a major part of the first two years of the 17th

Lok Sabha was affected by the pandemic, the Committees demonstrated

remarkable resilience by continuing their work while strictly observing

Covid appropriate norms.

• A total of 558 sittings were held by the committees

during the first two years of the 17th Lok Sabha. The

committees presented 272 reports to the House during

this period.

• A total of 2664 recommendations were made by the

committees through these reports out of which 1739

recommendations were accepted by the Executive.

The Meeting of General Purposes Committee under the

chairmanship of Hon’ble Speaker was held on 10th

February 2020 after 19 years.

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla presiding over the General Purposes Committee meeting.


• On recommendations of COSL , Memorandum regarding amendments to Rules 317 and

320 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, so as to broaden

the parameters based on which scrutiny of Gazette Notifications are made has been

considered and adopted in 17th Lok Sabha.

• Increased the Insurance amount from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh in the newly announced

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana on the recommendations of Standing

Committee on Agriculture.

• On recommendations of Committee of Defence the Government created the post of Chief

of Defence Staff , sanctioned 100 Sainik Schools and permitted in take of girl cadets in

Sainik schools. The Ministry also increased the bond amount at graduate level from Rs.

25 lakh to Rs.1 crore and at post-graduate level from Rs. 28 lakh to Rs. 2 crore to

encourage retention of the Armed Forces Medical personnel.

• On the recommendations of Standing Committee on Water Resources, Government

decided to take up rejuvenation of water bodies by engaging with all the concerned

stakeholders.

• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment appreciated and accepted all the

recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment

while examining "The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior citizens

(Amendment) Bill, 2019”.

• Mandating dispensing of Jan Ausadhi Medicines under all Central and State Government

healthcare services for benefit of poor people.

• Setting up of National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency in view of the depleting water as

a national resource.

Path Breaking Recommendations By Some Important

Committees

In light of the HS direction, the Committee branches reoriented their approach and

maximised the use of the available information and the services of the Research

division for improving the quality of their reports. The LARRDIS services provided

extensive Research Inputs to Committees as per their demand .

Research Support

23

Capacity Building for Members of Parliament and other stakeholders is a pre-requisite for

enhancement of quality of interventions and debates in the Lok Sabha through exposure to

knowledge and information in a rapidly changing world. Under the leadership and directions of

Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, the Parliament Research and Training Institute for Democracies

(PRIDE) and Library, Research, Reference, Documentation, and Information Service

(LARRDIS) have expanded the array of programmes and modes of delivery for the benefit of

all stakeholders.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING

PROGRAMMES IN PARLIAMENT: NEW INITIATIVES

In a First, to reach out to the democracy at the grassroots level, Outreach

and Familiarisation Programmes for the Panchayati Raj Institutions was

conducted for the State of Uttarakhand at Dehradun on 8 January 2021,

and for 8 North-Eastern States at Shillong on 25 and 26 February 2021.

Approximately 40,000 participated online and 445 participants attended

in physical mode in Uttarakhand, while 118 representatives attended

physically and 332 participants attended online in Meghalaya.

Building Capacity at Grass Root Level – Panchayati

Raj Institutions


Hon’ble Speaker at Outreach and Familiarisation

Programmes for the Panchayati Raj Institutions in

Dehradun. 8th January 2021.

Hon’ble Speaker at Outreach and Familiarisation

Programmes for the Panchayati Raj Institutions in

Shilong.25th February 2021.

24

Comparison of Reference/Legislative Notes Supplied to Members during the first fiveSessions of 16th & 17th Lok Sabhas

16th Lok Sabha 17th Lok Sabha

125

100

75

50

25

0

50

120

Introduced Briefing Sessions for the members.

Introduced Briefing Sessions on Important Legislative Business to enhance the quality of

debate and discussions. The domain experts briefed the members . A total of 43 Briefing

Sessions were organised for Members of Parliament on important Bills, etc. during

the 17th Lok Sabha.

A glimpse of Briefing Session on "The Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill,

2021" for MPs in Parliament House on 19th March 2021.

During the first two years of the 17th Lok Sabha, 216 training programs for capacity

building were organized for MPs and various other stakeholders. Approximately 50,849

participants attended in both online and offline mode.

Considerable increase in Legislative and Reference

Notes

25Fig. 10


• For the First time, National Youth Parliament Festival, 2021 was organized in the Central

Hall of Parliament. The Festival brought the youth of the country together in a festival of

national unity and solidarity

• For the First time, an online interactive session with Padma Awardees was held for the

benefit of MPs.

• Three Internship Programmes instituted for young students/youth for enabling them to gain

first-hand experience of Parliament.

• Special attention is given to conduct more programmes for foreign participants in PRIDE.

• PRIDE is now acting as a 'facilitator' and provides information regarding online SWAYAM

platform courses and Coursera portal for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

• Social media platforms of PRIDE were launched on Twitter and Facebook.

• Programmes for MPs and officials from Foreign Parliaments, Parliamentary Internship

Programme and Study Visits from different countries were organised by PRIDE.

• To mark National/International Days of importance, PRIDE conducted the programme for

International Women's Day from 8 to 12 March 2021 with a series of Panel Discussions

through hybrid mode and the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace on

6th April 2021.

Other Key Initiatives by PRIDE in this Direction

Home Minister Addressing Newly Elected Members of the 17th Lok Sabha..

From June 2019 to May 2021, a total of 9578 reference requests from Members were catered to.

In comparison to the corresponding period last year, due to Covid-19 pandemic, the number of

requests were affected.

26

Efforts to enhance the quality of discussion in the House

अन्य पहल

27

Under the visionary guidance of Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, innovative and creative

measures have been taken during 17th Lok Sabha to revamp research and information

support to Members of Parliament. It has been the constant endeavor of Hon'ble Speaker to

see that the Secretariat pro-actively reaches out to Members of Parliament and provide

them with comprehensive and relevant reference material to further improve quality of

debates and intervention during House proceedings.

PRISM, which was introduced on 23rd January 2021,

proactively engages with Members of Parliament to

provide them with all relevant information on policy

issues and others in the form of research, reference,

legislative and background notes.

• Round-the-Clock research support

to Members

• 950 Research Notes till Budget

Session

• 100+ Members availed the service

• For the First time, Research notes were prepared

for Ministries whose Demand for Grants were

being discussed in the House, during 5th session

of 17th Lok Sabha

• For the First time, introduced Research Notes in

Question/Answer format for ready use by

Members

• Encouraged preparation of increased number of

Research documents in the Hindi language

• Directors of the R&I Division are now in

constant touch with Chairpersons of

various Parliamentary Committees to

provide research inputs for the first time

• Provided Research and Information inputs

during the inter-session period, and also

even during the lockdown when Lok

Sabha Secretariat was closed due to the

Covid-19 pandemic

Other Initiatives

PRISM

Under the visionary guidance of Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, innovative and creative

measures have been taken during 17th Lok Sabha to revamp research and information

support to Members of Parliament. It has been the constant endeavor of Hon'ble Speaker to

see that the Secretariat pro-actively reaches out to Members of Parliament and provide

them with comprehensive and relevant reference material to further improve quality of

debates and intervention during House proceedings.

EFFORTS TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF

DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE

28

The Parliament Library is one of the richest in the country which is eminently

suited for use by Members of Parliament. It has been the endeavor of Hon'ble

Speaker that Members be facilitated in making use of the library resources to

enhance their understanding of various subjects to enable more informed

participation in the House.

• Introduced Doorstep delivery of books at Member’s Residences in the NCR.

• Organising Book exhibition during floral tribute functions in the Central Hall ,

Parliament House

• Created Library Interface on Member’s Portal

• Extension of Parliament Library Services to Members of State Legislatures

• Initiated Display of Books written by sitting MPs in the Member’s Reading Room

• Introduced Hotline/dedicated phone lines in the Parliament Library for encouraging

MPs to use Library

• Acquired Membership of DELNET for the widening of resources of the Library

• Social Media platform of Parliament Library launched on Facebook.


Parliament Library : Member-centric Initiatives

Hon’ble Speaker at a book Exhibition at floral tributes in Central Hall of Parliament House, 10th December 2019.

A view of Parliament Library

The Parliament of India, under the leadership of Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla

has taken purposeful steps in the arena of global parliamentary diplomacy. Hon'ble Speaker,

Lok Sabha, a firm believer in the march of democratic forces worldwide, has ensured that

India's participation and contribution in international fora is meaningful

Parliament of India in the Forefront to Expand Parliamentary Diplomacy

14th Lok Sabha

15th Lok Sabha

16th Lok Sabha

17th Lok Sabha

(First 2years)

Increased Representation of Indian MPs in IPU bodies

On the invitation of Hon'ble Speaker, newly-

elected IPU President, HE Duarte Pacheco

addressed the Members at Central Hall,

Parliament House on 16 March 2021 in a

historical felicitation ceremony. This was his first

port of call in Asia

India's proposal for a Resolution on the Theme

“Addressing Climate Change" received highest

number of affirmative votes, and was successfully

included in the agenda of the 141st Assembly of

IPU (13-17 October 2019) as an Emergency Item

First Speaker of Lok Sabha who ever

addressed the IPU Assembly in Hindi

India's suggestion regarding SDGs and

Climate Change during the Fourth South

Asian Speakers' Summit (1-2 September

2019) were unanimously incorporated in

the 'Male Declaration'

Hon’ble Speaker offered to host the 28th

CSPOC in 2026 in India and that was

unanimously approved at 25th Conference

of Speakers and Presiding Officers of

Commonwealth (5-9 January 2020)

STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY

THROUGH PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY

For the first time in the history of Indian Parliamentary Group, Indian MPs have

membership of ten bodies of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) during June 2019 - May

2021

Fig. 11

29

30

Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha led Indian Parliamentary Delegations to the Fourth South Asian

Speakers' Summit, Maldives; 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)

Conference, Uganda;6th G-20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P 20), Tokyo; and to 6th

BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Serbia;141st IPU Assembly, Serbia.

Hon’ble Speaker has been extending birthday greetings to fellow Presiding Officers of

Foreign Parliaments and regularly communicating with them. A total of 151 birthday

greetings have been sent so far.

Parliamentary Delegations have participated virtually in about two dozen high-level inter-

parliamentary events during the period from May 2020 to May 2021

In November 2020, Hon'ble Speaker participated in an Extraordinary Virtual Session (206th)

of the Governing Council to elect the new IPU President.

First-ever Virtual Meeting was addressed by the Hon'ble Speaker in 142nd IPU Assembly

Hon’ble Speaker addressed on 'bridging the gap between People and Parliament through

practicing the 5-Is- Interact, Inform, Imbibe, Improve and Involve' during the 5th World

Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP) ) (19-20 August 2020)

Shri Duarte Pachecko, President, Inter Parliamentary Union Addressing Members of Parliament in Central

Hall. 16 March 2021.

Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla in Maldive Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla, 8th January,

2020 in Ottawa


A function was organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the

Constitution Day- ‘Samvidhan Divas’ on 26 November 2019 in the Central Hall,

Parliament House

Celebrating Samvidhan Divas.

.Hon’ble President of

India, Shri Ram Nath

Kovind Members of

Parliament on

Constitution Day. 26th

November 2019.

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla ji

at the 141th IPU Assembly,

Belgrade , 13 October 2019

President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind;

Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu;

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi; Lok

Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla and

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Shri

Prahlad Joshi at the function to release

the Coins by the Hon'ble President of

India to commemorate the 250th Session

of Rajya Sabha at the `Samvidhan Divas`

at Central Hall of Parliament House on

26th November 2019.

31

Hon’ble President , Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressing the

Inauguration session of 80th All India Presiding Officers

Conference, at Kevadia, in Gujarat on 25th November, 2020

Hon’ble President , Shri Ram Nath Kovind , Hon’ble Vice President

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om

Birla and other dignitaries at 80th All India Presiding Officers

Conference, at Kevadia, in Gujarat on 25th November, 2020

• Hon’ble Speaker presided over the 79th and 80th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference

(AIPOC) held at Dehradun and Kevadia in December 2019 and November 2020,

respectively. The 80th AIPOC was inaugurated by Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Hon'ble

President of India. The valedictory session of the two-day 80th AIPOC was addressed by

Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing on 26 November 2020

to mark the celebration of Constitution Day

• Hon'ble Speaker called a virtual meeting of the Presiding Officers of the State Legislatures

and other Leaders on the subject “Prevailing COVID-19 Situation and the Role and

Responsibility of Public Representatives” on 19 April 2021. A similar Meeting was held in

April 2020 at the outbreak of the pandemic.

• A publication was brought out on 'Parliamentary Diplomacy', which covers HS's prominent

speeches during various Inter-Parliamentary Conferences/Meetings

Conferences of Presiding Officers and Other

Parliamentary Events In India

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla at the 7th CPA

India Region

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla at Orientation

Programme


Harnessing Digital technology in the service Lok Sabha

33

892000

150000

0

500000

1000000

यूट्यूब ट्विटर

Series1

● Increasing presence of LSTV on social media with 892K subscribers on

YouTube and 149K followers on twitter.

● Twitter handle of Lok Sabha Secretariat for Social Media outreached 120K

followers.

● Exclusive Coverage of Video Messages by HS on important occasions.

● Telecast of special capsules conveying birthday wishes to members while

highlighting their personal and political journey

● Simultaneous transmission of members speeches through SMS/WhatsApp,

Email/ M.P Portal and are also uploaded in LSTV

● Telecast of bulletins on works by Parliamentary committees to keep the

citizens abreast of recommendation made by committees and

implementation thereon

● Program to keep viewers well informed of parliamentary/ legal/ regional and

international developments

Hon’ble Speaker, Shri Om Birla with women Journalists on International Womens Day, 8th March 2021

36

Fig. 12

HARNESSING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE

SERVICE OF LOK SABHA

To strengthen democracy, citizens need to be aware and kept informed of the

various activities of the Parliament. On the direction of the Hon'ble Speaker, the

Parliament of India has taken important steps to develop robust interfacebetween the people and the Parliament.


The heritage Parliament complex area with trees, lawns and gardens is one of the most beautiful

in the National Capital. It is the vision of the Hon’ble Speaker that the green footprint be further

expanded to make it a sustainable and Eco-friendly Parliament Campus.

GO GREEN: ENVIRONMENT INITATIVES

Hon’ble Speaker planting tree at parliament

campus in the presence of Hon’ble PM and other

Dignitaries in 26th July, 2019 .

Hon’ble Speaker inaugurated Swachchta Abhiyan in

Parliament House Estate in July 2019 to mark the

beginning of the celebration of 150th Birth Anniversary

of Gandhi ji. 13th July, 2019.

Hon’ble Speaker at Yoga Session on International Yoga Day in Parliament House Estate. 21st June 2019.

Organised Yoga Camps and Fit India


Promote use of Eco- Friendly & Biodegradable

Materials

Plantation Drive and Regular

Maintenance of Plants. A new herbal

garden has been developed in the

Parliament Complex during the

17th Lok Sabhaperiod.

Promote Renewable Energy & Save

Energy.

(Solar Panels and Use Day Light

Replacement of traditional light

bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs

)

Reduction of Food Waste & Save Water

initiative in the canteens.

Go Digital & Paperless

Parliament E-Office, All notices in

Digital Format

15 million pages saved in the last two

years which translates into

saving of more than 1500 trees .

Reuse and Recycle

Use of Glass bottles, Two side paper

print.

Promote Electric Vehicle,

E- Rickshaw.

60% MPs prefer to use electric ferry

vehicles.

Say NO to Non Reusable Plastic (Ban on use of

Polythene)

The new Parliament building has been designed to provide further fillip to the Go Green

movement in the Parliament Complex Area by introducing effective and modern energy ,water

and paper saving technology and stress on recycling and re use of waste material . It has also

been ensured that minimum number of trees are affected.

GO GREEN: ENVIRONMENT INITATIVES

39

Due to deep interest of Hon’ble Speaker in the welfare of Hon’ble Members, steps have been

taken to provide 24×7 medical assistance to Members of Parliament and Officers/Staff of Lok

Sabha Secretariat.

INITIATIVES FOR BETTER HEALTH FACILITIES

Officers and staff of the Lok Sabha Secretariat contributed one

day's salary amounting to approximately 45 lakhs to the PM

CARES Fund.

COVID-19 Safety Kits were distributed at the Delhi

Residences of the Hon’ble Members of Parliament on two

occasions.

.

Total 17124 No of Covid Tests, conducted and 3625 Number of

persons vaccinated till now in two vaccination centers of P.H.

Complex.

A Control Room was set-up in the Lok Sabha Secretariat to

facilitate quicker interface between MPs, MLAs, MLCs and the

public.

Covid Test &

Vaccination

Centers in PHC

Distribution of

COVID-19

Safety Kits

Control Room for

Coordination with

States

Contribution to

PM CARES FUND

Hon’ble Speaker and other

dignitaries seen at

inauguration of Mega

Health camp in Parliament

house complex. 15th

March 2021.

Covid Initiatives

Health Related Initiatives

Upgradation of

Medical Centre , 24*7

Ambulance facility

To widen the scope of medical services in the Medical Centre,

three specialties viz. Endocrinology, Nephrology and

Gastroenterology have been initiated. Ambulance Service for

the MPs on call 24x7.

Organised Mega Health Camp and awareness Program.

Online workshop on Post Covid Care - 3 Orientation & awareness programs were

organised for MPs. Online workshop on ‘Post-Covid Care’, Physiological and Psychological

Recovery was held on 28th May 2021


xvii - lok sabha

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