Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla addressed the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, emphasizing the need for ethical, human-centric technology and strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation with UAE, China, and Iran.
Promoting Ethical Technology at the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged BRICS parliaments to champion ethical, responsible and transparent technology with paramount human oversight, according to a press release issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Addressing the plenary sessions of the ongoing 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Birla said BRICS nations, representing approximately half of the world's population, shared a collective responsibility to use technology ethically while safeguarding parliamentary sovereignty and fostering cooperation, the press release stated.
Earlier in the day, Birla inaugurated the forum, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
India's Digital Innovations in Governance
The press release said Birla outlined several digital innovations introduced by the Parliament of India to improve legislative capacity, transparency, efficiency and public access. These include secure digital platforms that provide MPs online access to questions and answers, along with prompt responses from government departments. He also highlighted multilingual initiatives offering the daily List of Business in 10 languages, with work underway to extend it to all 22 scheduled languages, as well as simultaneous interpretation in 22 languages.
According to the press release, Birla highlighted the digitisation of pre- and post-independence parliamentary debates, equipped with metadata and video-search facilities, alongside round-the-clock online access to research papers and home delivery of books from the Parliament Library.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat said he also discussed paperless governance initiatives using the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) and the 'One Nation, One Legislative Platform', which connect legislatures and enable live streaming of proceedings, debates, budgets and law-making information. Birla highlighted India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which empowers citizens, promotes financial inclusion and facilitates transparent benefit transfers directly into bank accounts to reduce corruption. He stressed that advanced technology must remain responsible, accountable and human-centric, aligned with ethical values, human sensitivities and dignity.
Strengthening Bilateral Parliamentary Ties
On the sidelines of the forum, Birla hosted UAE Federal National Council Speaker Saqr Ghobash. According to the press release, the leaders reaffirmed historic bonds of friendship and discussed strengthening parliamentary cooperation through regular dialogue, delegation exchanges and sharing best practices in digital governance, artificial intelligence, committee functioning and the Online Assurance Monitoring System. They also discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, education, youth exchanges and people-to-people connections, aligning with the shared aspirations of Viksit Bharat and We the UAE 2031, while emphasising regional peace and stability through diplomacy.
Later, Birla met Zheng Jianbang, Vice Chairman of China's National People's Congress. The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations through parliamentary exchanges and cooperation in education, healthcare and technology. Birla emphasised the shared responsibility of India and China to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border and resolve differences amicably through dialogue and mutual respect. He also highlighted parliamentary diplomacy, trade relations and people-to-people ties, expressing confidence that Parliamentary Friendship Groups and multilateral platforms such as BRICS would deepen mutual understanding.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat further stated that Birla met Ahmed Naderi, Member of the Praesidium of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly. Recalling historical ties and high-level engagements, including their meeting in September 2026, Birla stressed the importance of peace and stability in West Asia. The two sides discussed advancing cooperation on Chabahar Port through joint efforts. Naderi expressed gratitude for the medicines, assistance and other support extended by India to Iran, while both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement to strengthen longstanding bilateral ties, the press release said. (ANI)
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