Debate freebies, says Venkaiah

House must sit for 100 days in a year: V-P

THE PARLIAMENTARY committees, which are like mini parliament, are also seen as effective platforms to solve the problems of the people, Birla said.

New Delhi, Dec. 4: Vicepresident and Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called for a wider debate on freebies for harmonising welfare obligations with developmental needs and urged the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to examine this aspect to enable wider discussion.

Underlining that Parliament should meet for a minimum of 100 days and state legislatures for at least 90 days every year, Naidu said that there should be a political consensus on this issue.

Naidu was speaking at an event in the Central Hall of Parliament to mark 100 years of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that was also attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the committee chairman and Congress leader of Lok Sabha Adhir

Ranjan Chowdhury.

Noting that the PAC examines public expenditure to find out irregularities, Kovind said the parliamentary committee not only looks at it from the legal perspective but also from the “point of view of the economy, prudence, wisdom and propriety”.

“It (PAC) has no other objective but to bring to notice cases of waste, loss, corruption, extravagance, inefficiency. If more paise out of every rupee coming from honest taxpayers are reaching those in need and also for nation-building initiatives, the PAC and its members have played a large role in the process,”

Kovind said.

Stating that the main responsibility of democratic institutions is to make the government accountable and transparent to the people, Lok Sabha speaker Birla noted that the parliamentary committees have contributed significantly in making this possible through their functions.

The parliamentary committees, which are like mini parliament, are also seen as effective platforms to solve the problems of the people and fulfillment of their expectations, Birla said.

Naidu expressed his anguish over members not attending the parliamentary committee meetings and said that parliament should function for 100 days and state legislative Assemblies for 90 days every year. There should be a political consensus on this, he said.

— PTI President Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president and Chairman of Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla , Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh and Chairperson of Public Accounts Committee Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury during the inaugural function marking centennial year celebration of Public Accounts Committee, in New Delhi on Saturday.