By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 09, 2025: LOK Sabha Speaker Om Birla yesterday stressed that Election Commission of India has an excellent track record of conducting free, fair, independent and impartial elections, adding that India is a vibrant democracy with nearly one billion voters. Highlighting encouraging participation of women in the election process in India, he noted that such participation shows the inclusiveness in our electoral process.

Birla made these remarks during his meeting with Speaker, House of Commons of the Parliament of UK, H.E. Sir Lindsay Hoyle in London, yesterday. Mentioning that India is celebrating 75 years of adoption of the Constitution, Birla said that the Constitution of India has brought transformative socio-economic changes in the country. He expressed hope that India will be a developed country by 2047 - the centenary year of India's independence.

Noting that democracy in India is deep rooted from grassroots level to Parliament, Birla mentioned that the country is bridging gender gap in economy, polity and society through policy interventions. Highlighting India's achievements as a parliamentary democracy, Birla emphasised that despite the diversities, India has been successful in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of different sections of society through parliamentary dialogues and discussion.

Referring to the use of digital technology in the Parliament of India, Lok Sabha Speaker noted that the use of digital technology has empowered the legislators and has helped them in discharging their parliamentary responsibilities more efficiently. State legislatures are also adopting new technologies to improve their functions, the Speaker said. Calling for strengthening parliamentary cooperation between India and UK, Birla stressed on more and more exchange of parliamentary knowledge, best practices and experiences between the two countries. Youth and women parliamentarians of both the countries should interact more frequently, Birla said.

Birla informed that Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) at Lok Sabha Secretariat has emerged as one of the world class institutions in providing parliamentary training. He discussed about strengthening parliamentary cooperation through capacity building of legislators.

Observing that people to people ties constitute foundation of warm bilateral relations between the two countries, Birla was of the view that this bonhomie have made the relationship stronger and multifaceted. He noted that bilateral relations between India and UK have strengthened in the fields of science and technology, research and innovation, and space, and this has benefited the people of both the countries. Referring to the historical, cultural and economic ties between India and the United Kingdom, Birla noted with satisfaction that both the countries are working together in solving humanitarian problems of food and health security and finding answers to growing challenges like climate change.

On this occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker extended new year greetings to H.E. Sir Lindsay Hoyle and congratulated him on his election as Speaker, House of Commons, for the second time.