Lok Sabha Speaker  Om Birla on Sunday  highlighted the inclusive and welfarist nature of Constitution of India, mentioning that “the spirit of the Indian Constitution is to treat all citizens equally, provide them with equal opportunities, and integrate the marginalised and backward sections of society into the ‘mainstream of progress.” Speaker was delivering the keynote address on “Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice” at the historic 150th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Birla observed that “In recent years, the Indian Parliament has passed several legislations that promote social justice and security and encourage the inclusion of all sections of society.” 

Referring to the Parliament’s perennial concern for safeguarding the interests of the vulnerable segments of society, he added that “Bills like the ‘Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act-2016’, the ‘Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019’ and the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam-2023’ safeguard the interests of all sections of society.” 

In this context, he also referred to new Labor laws and codes passed by Parliament for the welfare and social security of workers in the unorganised sector, said the statement issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Stressing that Indian Parliament has taken several measures prioritising justice and rule of law, Birla mentioned that “By replacing the ‘Indian Penal Code’ with the ‘Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita’, India has established the primacy of justice”.

Referring to functioning of Parliamentary Committees in achieving the goals of development and social justice, Shri Birla noted that the various Parliamentary Committees, often referred to as Mini Parliaments, perform a complimentary function to the efforts of Parliament and the government. He highlighted that the Committees on Social Justice and Empowerment; Committee on Women Empowerment; Committee on Labour and Skill Development, and other diverse committees monitor welfare programmes leading to implementation of schemes with effectiveness and accountability. 

Birla stressed that Government of India works with a mission to achieve targets set for key human development indicators. In this regard, he specifically mentioned that “Under the world’s largest health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri — Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), free health insurance is being provided to the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population”.

Praising the strong and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker said “Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India has achieved the distinction of being the world’s fastest-growing major economy with a 105 per cent GDP growth over the past decade and is rapidly progressing towards its goal of Viksit Bharat in 2047.” Noting that India is the fifth-largest economy in the world and is on its way toward becoming the third-largest economy, Birla said that India is playing a leading role in the world in fields like Innovation, AI, Startups, Space and Defense Technology, IT, Fintech, Pharma, and others.

He hoped that the discussions at the IPU Assembly would provide all delegations with new perspectives and will allow Parliaments around the world to be able to take concrete steps toward building a just, inclusive, and prosperous society. Speaking on the role of IPU in the present world order, Shri Birla mentioned that the IPU continues to add new dimensions to global parliamentary cooperation.

Birla underlined that the theme chosen for the 150th IPU Assembly reflects the expansion of the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ which is deeply rooted in Indian culture, tradition, and philosophy, said the statement issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat.