Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday drew attention to the hopes and aspirations of the younger generation and said their aspirations must be met with meaningful opportunities, dignity and an enabling environment so that their talents could flourish.
Inaugurating the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum here, Birla also said Parliaments have a vital responsibility to listen to young voices, understand their hopes and concerns, and create pathways through which their energy, creativity and capabilities can be channelled into nation-building.
He said youths are now equipped with growing access to quality education and technological knowledge, alongside an immense desire to innovate, excel and contribute to society.
“The aspirations of the youth must be met with meaningful opportunities, dignity and an enabling environment in which their talents could flourish,” he said. The speaker said young people were not merely an investment in their individual futures but a commitment to the collective destiny of nations. Parliaments, he said, were living institutions that must evolve in step with the changing aspirations of the people.
“Their strength lay not merely in their constitutional authority but also in their ability to foster constructive dialogue, build consensus, uphold transparency and remain steadfastly accountable to the citizens they represent,” he added.
Underscoring the transformative role of innovation in parliamentary functioning, Birla said innovation extended beyond the adoption of new technologies to encompass fresh ideas, progressive practices and institutional reforms that make democratic institutions more effective, transparent, participatory and responsive.
“By embracing constructive change and strengthening institutional capabilities, parliaments could enhance the quality of deliberation, improve public engagement and respond more meaningfully to the evolving expectations of citizens,” he said.