Lucknow: Lok Sabha is set to introduce a new attendance system for its members from the upcoming Budget session of Parliament that will require them to punch in their presence at the seat allotted to them instead of doing so in the lobby.
Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the 86th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference here, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said attendance will now be recorded only when members are seated inside the House.
The new system is expected to save time as lobbies are at times crowded with MPs queuing up at the digital devices to mark attendance. There have also been instances when some MPs mark their presence and leave without participating in the proceedings of the House, Birla said.
The Lok Sabha had given the members the option to mark their attendance in the House using a digital pen on an electronic tablet in the lobby as part of efforts to make Parliament paperless.
From the Budget session, all MPs will now mark their attendance using the multimedia device installed at their seats, either by tapping their smart ID card, scanning their thumbprint or entering their personal identification number, Birla said.
Ministers and the Leader of Opposition, it may be noted, are not required to sign in their attendance.
The members are required to mark their attendance to receive their daily allowances during Parliament sessions. The frequency of an MP’s presence in the House during sessions is, at times, part of public debate as well.
The Budget session of Parliament will begin on January 28 and continue till April 2.
The Speaker also appealed to MPs to express their opposition or protest any measure through speeches in the House, and not by merely waving placards or shouting slogans.
Birla said that if the members wish to express their views on any issue in accordance with their respective party ideologies, they can do so by speaking in the House.
The Speaker said the Lok Sabha secretariat was experimenting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for real-time translation of legislative proceedings until 100 per cent accuracy is achieved.
Birla said the 80 per cent accuracy has been achieved using an AI tool in transcribing the proceedings of the House.
After an 80 per cent successful translation of legislative work through the AI stenography tool, the content is manually reconfirmed before being uploaded to the Members of Parliament portal.
The Speaker said that given the pace at which AI is advancing, it is estimated that by April or during the Monsoon session, all legislative proceedings of the House will be uploaded to the portal in just 30 minutes.
PTI
