The last session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) ended on Thursday after two sittings that commenced on Tuesday.
Speaker, NLA, Sharingain Longkumer adjourned the house sine die, stating that the business’ listed had been transacted successfully.
The 13th NLA, starting from the first session in 2018, has had 12 sessions, 38 days of sittings with a total time of 151 hours and 50 minutes. It has passed 26 Bills and adopted eight resolutions apart from other important businesses. It also discussed 14 core subject matters under Rule – 50 pertaining to various issues of public importance, the speaker said.
For the first time in the history of NLA (on Sep. 20, 2022), the floor had the longest duration of question hour, sixty-five minutes over and above the normally allotted time.
‘It was an extraordinary exception and for record, precedence will not follow’, he added.
He further informed the reports laid on the floor of the house included Public Accounts Committee (10 reports for the year 2014 till date), Estimates Committee-22 reports, Committee on Public Undertakings- 43 reports, Committee on Government Assurance-five reports, and Committee on Subordinate Legislation-27 reports.
The speaker also noted that the number of sittings of each house is an important indicator of how effective parliamentary democracy functions.
‘The Nagaland Legislative Assembly is also contributing towards a vibrant democracy. Though the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference resolution is for 100 days of sittings, Nagaland is also not far behind’, Longkumer observed.
Unless the present government convenes an emergency session in the coming days, the 13th House came to a conclusion until the next government comes.
It may be noted that Deputy Speaker T Yangseo Sangtam conducted the question hour for the first time on the last day of the 13th NLA.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio commended the speaker’s leadership in leading the House. “Despite being a first-time member of this House, you have displayed maturity and provided exemplary guidance as Speaker of this House”, he said, adding that he contributed to the high standards of democratic decorum that the House represents.
He said the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has stood firm through the test of time and ‘the floor of this August House has well and truly been a House of the people.
‘Over the past decades, members who have stood on this floor have served the Naga people with committed distinction, irrespective of affiliation. In this present House too, the Members have carried out their responsibilities in exemplary fashion’, he added.
