The Secretariat of the Legislative Assembly has framed fresh rules to check absenteeism of members of over a dozen committees of the legislature.
The rules have been framed for ensuring regular attendance of members and transparency in the conduct of meetings. Attendance will now be mandatory for Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and heads of various departments at the meetings of the committees concerned. The Secretariat has also withdrawn the rules framed in 2013 on holding of meetings.
As per the new rules, the Assembly Secretariat staff will take attendance of MLAs and MLCs after an hour of commencement of the meeting, or before the end of the meeting, and submit the attendance book to the Secretary of the Assembly.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, and Committee on Subordinate Legislation will hold meetings on Tuesday, while the Committee on Estimates, Committee on Welfare of Women and Children, and the Committee on the Welfare of Backward Classes and Minorities will meet on Wednesdays. The Committee on Petition of the Legislative Assembly, Committee on Privileges, Committee on House, and Committee on Local Bodies and Panchayat Raj will hold meetings on Thursday, while the Committee on Public Undertaking, Committee on Government Assurances, and Committee on the Welfare of SC/ST will meet Fridays.
In case of a holiday on the day of meeting, the committee will meet the next working day.
