NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly is set to usher in some major changes in its rule book to further align itself with practices of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, aimed at simplification of legislative language and introducing gender-neutral terminology to reflect its commitment to inclusivity, clarity, and equality, Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Monday.
These changes will be made as parts of 100-day agenda of the Delhi government, an official said.
Gupta said a draft for the proposed changes is ready and the first meeting of the Rules Committee will take them up on June 5. He said after getting the go-ahead from the panel, the draft will be presented in the House in the monsoon session of Legislative Assembly.
“We will make our rules at par with both the houses of Parliament. We will work to make the language easy. We have also constituted two new committees – Committee of Welfare of Senior Citizens and Committee of Welfare of Transgenders, whose rules are also being framed,” he added.
These committees are aimed at strengthening the institutional framework for addressing concerns of marginalised groups. The rules governing their structure and functioning will be placed before the Rules Committee for detailed review and recommendations, Gupta added.
Best practices of Parliament will be studied and incorporated to ensure effectiveness and alignment with national standards, the Speaker said, asseting, “The power to regulate its own business is one of the most important privileges bestowed on the legislatures by the Constitution. Article 118 in respect of the Parliament, Article 208 in respect of the State Legislature and Section 33 of the GNCTD Act, 1991 in respect of the Delhi Assembly grants the powers to legislatures to frame their own Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.”