Shimla: On the second day of the Monsoon Session, students of Portmore School, Shimla, and Government College Dhami visited the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat at 10:30 a.m. to witness the proceedings of the House.
Before entering the House, the students met Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania in the lobby of the Council Chamber. The students requested the Speaker to explain the proceedings of the day, the role and composition of the Legislative Assembly, and the importance of the office of the Speaker.
Explaining the functioning of the Assembly in simple terms, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that the Legislative Assembly is the law-making body of a state. Just as schools have different classes, a state has different constituencies, and a representative is elected from each constituency. These elected representatives, known as MLAs, together form the Legislative Assembly. Its primary responsibility is to make laws for the people of the state, just as schools have rules to ensure their proper functioning.
Pathania said that the political party winning the highest number of seats forms the government, with its leader becoming the Chief Minister. In the Assembly, MLAs raise questions concerning public issues, to which the government is required to respond. The government also presents its annual plans and expenditure through the Budget, which is passed by the Legislative Assembly.
He explained that the Speaker presides over and regulates the proceedings of the House, much like a school principal conducts an assembly. Political parties that do not form the government perform the role of the Opposition. The Opposition keeps a watch on the functioning of the government and raises issues concerning the people.
The Speaker further explained that issues are extensively debated in the Assembly, with MLAs expressing their views. When a law is proposed, members vote on it, and the proposal is passed if it receives the required majority.
Pathania said that the Legislative Assembly is an important pillar of democracy, providing people an opportunity to participate in governance through their elected representatives.
The Speaker also invited all the students to witness the proceedings inside the House and extended his best wishes to them, expressing hope for their bright and successful future.
