Om Birla asks states not having legislative committees on SC, ST welfare to constitute them

Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday urged a few states without legislative bodies for the welfare of Schduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to form them, as a meeting of the heads of these parliamentary and state committees ended here.

Birla told reporters that various suggestions have been received as part of the ‘Bhubaneswar Agenda 2025’, and the concerned parliamentary committee will take them up with the Centre and states to put them into action.

He noted that on average, 70 to 80 per cent of the recommendations of a parliamentary committee are accepted by the government, shedding light on its importance in making the executive accountable and transparent.

The parliamentary committee on the issue is behind a host of empowering decisions, including regularisation of more than 1.5 lakh jobs and extension of reservation benefits to different sectors, Birla said.

As the two-day conference attended by members of 19 state legislatures' committees and one from a UT, besides the parliamentary panel, ended, the speaker noted that a meeting of these bodies was held after 25 years and for the first time outside Delhi.

The idea is to foster deliberations to adopt best practices from one another, and energise efforts for the welfare of the marginalised communities, Birla said.

To a question that the Opposition was not treated fairly in Lok Sabha, the speaker said its members are allowed to make their points and often speak during discussions for more than the allotted time.

However, he added, the House must function in accordance with rules.

Disagreement is the strength of democracy, but it must be expressed in a dignified way, he said, criticising the practice of the opposition parties, whom he did not directly name, to resort to deliberate disruptions of the House during the recent Monsoon session.

He also said that India has undertaken wide-ranging reforms to strengthen the rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and to ensure that they are in tune with present-day aspirations.

Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati also addressed the conference.

He said the welfare of these communities is not merely a question of policy but also a measure of the country's progress, as democracy is built on the pillars of equality, dignity, liberty and fraternity.

Their empowerment is not any charity but an essence of democracy, the governor added. PTI KR ARI