Nagaland Parliamentary Affairs Minister, KG Kenye. File Photo
Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 8
Nagaland Parliamentary Affairs Minister, KG Kenye today insisted that all AHoDs and HoDs must ensure their presence at Oral Evidence Meetings and Assembly Sessions.
Attendance during Assembly Session needs to be improved, said Kenye while making a statement under Rule-55 on the concluding day of the 6th session of 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) here today.
He said that it has come to notice that in many cases, the Administrative Heads of Department (AHoDs) and Heads of Department (HoDs) are not attending to their responsibilities with regard to Assembly matters.
Further, it has been observed in many instances AHoDs and HoDs are not attending even Oral Evidences Meetings leading to repeated rescheduling of the meetings causing serious inconveniences, he said.
Non-attendance in these meetings and the tendency to depute Junior Officers to represent AHoD/HoD is highly inappropriate and must be scrupulously avoided, asserted Kenye.
All recommendations made by the Committees must be treated with due importance, and the mechanism should be in place for their timely implementation, he added.
The Assembly is the highest democratic institution of governance, and all its matters must be treated with utmost seriousness and priority, Kenye further contended.
Government Officials, especially those in leadership role, have a duty to respect the Legislative process and ensure that the concerns and recommendations of this House are addressed with sincerity and diligence, he said.
Kenye asserted that the 14th House of the NLA is committed to uphold the confidence of the people “which have been reposed in us through the mandate we have received and will therefore leave no stone unturned in the service of the people.”
‘Legislature is the temple of democracy’
Maintaining the legislature as the temple of democracy, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister noted that it is an institute where policies are conceived and are transformed into laws through enactment by the Legislature to govern the State and its citizens.
To implement these Acts following the policies, a system is established which is known as the government machinery, he highlighted.
Kenye stated that the legislature and government work together for the people's welfare, elaborating that governance operates through two secretariats: the Assembly Secretariat, which receives inputs from the people's representatives, and the Civil Secretariat, which delivers services through civil servants.
Therefore, the synchronisation of the two Secretariats is of paramount importance and this is why the many Assembly Committees have been constituted, he added.
The Committee included Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings, Committee of Privileges, Committee on Subordinate Legislation, Committee on Government Assurances, Business Advisory Committee, Committee on Petition, Rules Committee, House Committee, Library Committee, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, Budget Committee, Committee to Examine the Applicability of Laws Passed by, Committee on Environment and Climate Change, Committee on Urban Local Bodies and Village & Tribal Councils (vis-a-vis The Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023 and The Nagaland Village and Tribal Council Act 1978 as amended upto 2022).
He explained that the Committees coordinate the work of the two Secretariats to implement development programmes based on the Legislative Assembly's policies and also play a dual role by submitting reports that help the government refine its future plans and programmes.
Thus, the written and oral evidence gathered by the Committees have significant impacts and the essence of a people's government would be lost if the roles and purpose of the Committees are undermined, he added.
Addressing NLA members in Assembly Committees, Kenye advised that those unable to fulfil their duties due to repeated absences affecting quorum (2/3) should step down, informing the Speaker in advance to allow for a replacement and ensure the smooth functioning of the Committees.
