HP Assembly Monsoon Session from Friday; Assurance Committee to be set up

The 10-sitting Monsoon Session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly begins Friday. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said 1,026 questions were received, and an Assurance Committee will be formed to monitor government assurances.

Himachal Monsoon Session to Commence Friday

The Monsoon Session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly will begin on Friday, with Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday saying 1,026 questions have been received online for the 10-sitting session and an Assurance Committee will be constituted under the Speaker to monitor compliance with assurances given on the floor of the House.

Speaking to the media in Shimla and later to ANI, Pathania said the session would commence at 11 am on August 21 and continue till September 3. An all-party meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss the smooth conduct of the session. He said the Assembly Secretariat had received 1,026 questions till August 18, including starred and unstarred questions. Most of the questions, he said, were related to vacancies in health and educational institutions, infrastructure losses and other issues concerning the state.

Notices and Issues Raised

Pathania said the Assembly has also received 50 various issues under various rules. He said there are 13 Calling Attention Notices, two notices under Rule 62, five notices under Rule 101 for Private Members' Day and 15 notices under Rule 130, and all have been received online. "All notices have been sent to the government," he said, adding that issues related to health, medicines, civil supplies and other public concerns had been raised under Rule 130. He said a minimum of two hours would be available for discussion under the rule.

Ensuring Accountability and Productivity

On the functioning of the Assembly, Pathania said its productivity had remained between 90 and 120 per cent, which he described as among the best in the country. He said an Assurance Committee would be constituted under the Speaker to ensure that assurances made by the government on the floor of the House were implemented. The move, he said, would also help address complaints raised by members regarding non-compliance with such assurances. "I appeal to all members to cooperate with me as Speaker and ensure the smooth functioning of the House," Pathania said.

On privilege matters, he said around five to seven issues were pending, while most of the cases had already been addressed. Pathania said the Petitions Committee had benefited 75 people out of around 120 petitions received so far. He also said the Assembly was committed to preserving the more than 100-year-old Assembly building, while maintaining its heritage and functionality. Pathania also said that he would constitute the Assurance committe if the members desire to for the same, as so far, the information and assurance given have been upto the mark, but if this comes to his notice speak has the right to constitute the committe and also to take cognisance (ANI)

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