Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Dr Charanjit Singh Atwal on Monday issued instructions that all officers, present in the Assembly to stand up in respect of the National Anthem.
These orders have been passed for the Budget session which would be followed by the Governor's speech. The directions came after it was noticed that officers, including Chief Secretary, principal secretaries, financial commissioners, among others, prefer to stick to their chairs whenever the national anthem was played after the State Governor addresses the House on the first day of the budget session.
As everybody in the House, including the Chief Minister, all MlAs, and even the journalists sitting in the press gallery stand up, the Government officers in the officers’ gallery do not bother to get up. “Now, it would be mandatory for all the bureaucrats sitting in the officers’ gallery, and other officers present in the Assembly to stand up at time of recitation of National Anthem,” said a spokesperson of the Vidhan Sabha.