Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Pathania indicated on Wednesday that an Assurances Committee could be constituted under his chairmanship if deemed necessary. Currently, the monitoring of assurances given by ministers on the floor of the House is handled by the Assembly’s Standing Committees.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that this statement was made by Speaker Pathania during a press conference held in anticipation of the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, scheduled to commence on August 21. He elaborated that the existing Standing Committees are actively engaged in reviewing the progress of assurances provided by ministers. These committees regularly summon heads of departments to assess the implementation status of these commitments.
The Speaker further outlined the agenda for the forthcoming session, stating that it would begin with an obituary reference to members of the House who have passed away recently. He noted that the Budget Session earlier this year comprised 16 sittings, and the Monsoon Session is slated to have 10 sittings.
Detailing the preparatory work for the session, Speaker Pathania informed the press that the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat has received a substantial number of questions online. As of the press conference, 1,036 questions had been submitted, comprising 787 starred and 249 unstarred questions. He highlighted that the majority of these questions pertain to critical issues such as vacancies within government departments, particularly in health institutions, the proposed deployment of teachers in notified CBSE schools, and the extent of damage to infrastructure resulting from the ongoing monsoon season.
Speaker Pathania also provided an update on the notices received under various rules governing the proceedings of the House. By August 18, the Secretariat had recorded 13 notices submitted under Rule 62, two under Rule 63, five under Rule 101, and 15 under Rule 130. He confirmed that all these notices have been formally transmitted to the state government, and responses are currently awaited.
Expressing optimism about the proceedings, Speaker Pathania conveyed his confidence that the session would be conducted smoothly, with cooperation expected from both the ruling party and the Opposition members to ensure productive discussions. To facilitate this collaborative environment, an all-party meeting has been scheduled for Thursday at 4:30 pm, aimed at seeking the cooperation of all legislators.
He further underscored the high productivity of the current Vidhan Sabha, the 14th in the state’s legislative history. Pathania stated that the productivity has consistently been among the highest nationally, fluctuating between 90 and 132 percent. He pledged to ensure that adequate time would be allocated for comprehensive discussions on matters of state interest, as well as on issues directly affecting the legislative constituencies of the members.
In response to a specific query regarding pending privilege notices, Speaker Pathania clarified that most of these have already been resolved. He indicated that only a small number, approximately five to six, remain pending and would be addressed and settled in the near future.
The Chenab Times News Desk