VIJAYAWADA: Addressing the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Sydney, Australia, Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu has said transparency is the foundation of the Indian Constitution.
“Legislative sessions in India are conducted openly, except in matters related to national security. This transparency is enshrined both in the Constitution and legislative rules, allowing citizens to closely follow development activities, and form their own opinions,” he said.
The Speaker highlighted that Andhra Pradesh is fostering civic engagement by telecasting Assembly sessions live. However, he acknowledged that there is still scope for improvement in ensuring full transparency, especially in House committee meetings. He suggested that there is a need for a comprehensive governance approach to make the committee proceedings accessible to the public.
Another key point discussed at the CPC was the limited time legislators have to deliberate on crucial proposals due to their active involvement in addressing local issues. He felt that if every government department fulfils its responsibilities effectively, legislators will have more time for legislative activities.
Ayyanna also observed that while legislative procedures like Zero Hour and Question Hour are designed to keep the government accountable, the effectiveness of such measures is impacted by the limited number of legislative sessions. He proposed a minimum of 70 Assembly working days a year to address this gap.
He concluded by emphasising that the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly is moving towards a paperless system through ICT adoption, setting an example as a technologically forward-thinking State.