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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Digitisation, encouraging first-term MPs to raise issues hallmark of Birla's 6 years as LS Speaker
New Delhi, Digitisation of parliamentary records, special legislative briefings and giving opportunities to first-term lawmakers to raise issues have been the hallmark of Om Birla's tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the sixth straight year. Digitisation, encouraging first-term MPs to raise issues hallmark of Birla's 6 years as LS Speaker Birla, a three-term Lok Sabha member, was re-elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on June 26 last year and completed six years as the presiding officer of the lower house earlier this week. "The first year of the 18th Lok Sabha has marked 104 per cent productivity. The House sitting lasted well past midnight to approve key legislations," the Speaker told reporters in a recent interaction. He said the 18th Lok Sabha passed 24 bills, including the Waqf Bill, the Disaster Management Bill, and the Immigration and Foreigners Bill during the 372 hours of sittings of the lower House through the past one year. Birla was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the first time on June 19, 2019. His second term as the Lok Sabha Speaker began on June 26 last year. Birla said it has been his priority to allow members to raise issues of urgent public importance in the House and a record of sorts was created on April 3 this year when 204 issues were raised in the Lok Sabha the maximum ever in a single day. He said digitisation of Parliamentary records has been another area of priority and the Lok Sabha secretariat was in the process of digitising video recordings of historic parliamentary debates of yesteryears running into more than 8,000 hours. "We have sourced these videos from Doordarshan archives as these date before Sansad TV came into existence," a senior official said. He said an AI-powered search system now allows users to find specific words or topics in videos instantly, even across multiple languages. The official said new technologies have simplified newly elected MPs' daily tasks, replacing the cumbersome process of filling 19 different forms with a unified onboarding app that saves time and reduces errors. The Parliament Digital Library has emerged as a crucial resource, offering the public digital access to vast parliamentary research and information, furthering transparency and democratic engagement. "This initiative not only puts the rich parliamentary knowledge hub in digital space for wider use but also strengthens our democratic legacy," Birla said. He also said AI-driven translation and localisation tools now automatically convert parliamentary documents into the country's constitutional languages. The indigenous AI tool "Sansad Bhashini" provides multilingual support for parliamentary work, breaking language barriers and promoting inclusivity as part of the Digital India mission, the Lok Sabha Speaker said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistani nationals who overstay in Indican face 3 years in jail, ₹3 lakh fine
Pakistani nationals on short-term visas who fail to leave India within the stipulated deadline are liable to be arrested, prosecuted and face penalties of three years in jail and a ₹3 lakh fine. Under Section 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, foreign nationals who overstay their visa, violate visa conditions, or enter restricted areas in India face imprisonment up to 3 years, or a fine of a maximum ₹3 lakh or both. Also Read: 'Look who's bearing brunt': Children separated from mothers, tears at Attari-Wagah ahead of India exit deadline The Centre issued a 'Leave India' notice to all Pakistani nationals on short-term visas in India, stating that they had to leave the country by April 27. Special consideration was given to those on medical visas who are required to leave by April 29. The Indian government's directive came after Pakistani-based terrorist organisation was linked to the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead. Also Read: Tears, hugs, final goodbyes at Attari border as hundreds of Pakistanis leave India | Photos The 12 categories of visa holders who have to leave India by April 27 include those who have a visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrim. Union home minister Amit Shah had directed the chief ministers of all states to identify those Pakistani nationals who need to be deported and make arrangements accordingly. As many as 509 Pakistani nationals, including nine diplomats and officials, left India over the last three days in accordance with the Indian government's directives following the Pahalgam attack. Also Read: Punjab: Attari-Wagah border closure to hit biz, but traders say they stand with country A total of 745 Indians, including 14 diplomats and officials, also returned from Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border, reported PTI. Mirroring New Delhi's punitive measures, Islamabad also announced retaliatory directives and cancelled visas given to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Relations between the two neighbouring nations have soured after the Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Pahalgam. Pakistan has denied involvement and has called for a neutral probe into the incident. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and defence minister Khawaja Asif have also called for international involvement in the investigation to ensure fairness.
