Legislatures should have 60 sittings per year: AP Assembly Speaker

Tirupati, Sep 14 (PTI) As disruptions mar proceedings in state legislatures and Parliament, Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker C Ayyannapatrudu on Sunday suggested a 'no work, no pay' policy for lawmakers.

Ayyannapatrudu made this suggestion during the inauguration of the first-ever two-day national conference of parliamentary and legislative committees on empowerment of women, which was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla here.

Ayyannapatrudu also urged the Lok Sabha speaker to make provisions for ensuring that a state legislature has at least 60 sittings every year so that people's voice is adequately heard in the legislative bodies.

He acknowledged that frequent disruptions were resulting in brief discussions while enacting laws on matters of public good.

Ayyannapatrudu's remarks on the 'no work, no pay' principle come in the wake of YSRCP MLAs staying away from the state assembly since the party lost power last year.

Asked about the Andhra Pradesh speaker's suggestion on a minimum of 60 sittings of state legislatures per year, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla said the matter can be discussed at the meeting of the presiding officers from across the country in January next year.

In 2024, state Assemblies met for 20 days on average, as per a report by PRS Legislative. The average duration of each sitting was five hours.

Odisha met for the highest number of days (42), followed by Kerala (38). Among the larger states, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh met for 16 days each. In 2024, states discussed budgets for seven days on average. PTI SKU AMJ AMJ