Zero hour to be introduced in Maharashtra Assembly

AHMEDNAGAR, FEBRUARY 8: The concept of `zero hour,' practiced in the Lok Sabha, would soon be introduced in the functioning of the Maharas...

AHMEDNAGAR, FEBRUARY 8: The concept of `zero hour,’ practiced in the Lok Sabha, would soon be introduced in the functioning of the Maharashtra legislative council, its chairman N S Pharande has said.

In an interview to PTI here on Monday, Pharande said the new system “will facilitate members of the house to draw attention of the Government on various important issues”. In Lok Sabha, the `zero hour’ of unspecified duration begins as soon as the question hour is over and members can raise matters of pressing concern.

At present, both the Assembly and the Maharashtra legislative council, however, do not have the system of `zero hour.’ Highlighting another aspect, Pharande said the actual working days of the state assemblies “are on the decrease”. To substantiate his point, he said the average of the past five years was only 52 days of sittings per year in Maharashtra, while in Karnataka it was 55 days. The Centre has decided to take steps to improve the quality of the functioning of legislaturesand make better use of the legislative bodies for constructive purpose, he said.

Story continues below this ad

A committee has been set up to discuss the problems before the state legislatures and Pharande is the national Chairman of the committee. The main function of the Assembly is to make effective legislation and its implementation, Pharande said, but lamented that “unfortunately, very few members take part in the functioning with preparation”.

“The laws passed by the houses should be flawless but many times the laws are passed without sufficient discussion,” he added. A meeting of the committee has been arranged on February 21 to decide the number of working days for assemblies of different states, Pharande said.

‘Bangladeshis’ and ‘ghuspaithiyas’: BJP MP Brij Lal stops five sanitation workers on road in to quiz them on video

‘Bangladeshis’, ‘ghuspaithiyas’: On camera, BJP MP quizzes 5 sanitation workers

Cities9 min ago

BJP MP and former UP DGP Brij Lal has sparked controversy with a video accusing five sanitation workers in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar Extension of being Bangladeshi infiltrators. Lal, a former IPS officer, claims to know how terrorism works and alleges that these workers are a threat to the nation. He appeals to CM Yogi Adityanath to deport them and claims they have fake identities.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS