New Delhi, 9^th January, 2026: The year 2025 saw sustained parliamentary activity and institutional engagement in the Lok Sabha, under the guidance of Shri Om Birla , the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The period was characterised by focused initiatives across legislative functioning, parliamentary diplomacy, organisation of national-level conferences and seminars, institutional strengthening, and public outreach, reinforcing democratic processes and constitutional values while furthering India’s parliamentary engagement at the international level.

Key initiatives and events during the period from January 2025 to date include:

1. Strengthening democracy through Parliamentary Diplomacy

In 2025, parliamentary diplomacy continued to strengthen India’s engagement with legislatures across the world through sustained high-level exchanges and participation in major inter-parliamentary fora. Indian Parliamentary Delegations, led by Shri Om Birla engaged with counterparts abroad, while the Parliament of India also hosted visiting parliamentary delegations, facilitating dialogue on democratic practices and legislative functioning. These engagements were complemented by visits and capacity-building interactions under initiatives such as the PRIDE programme, offering visiting delegations insight into India’s parliamentary processes and reflecting growing international interest in India’s experience of parliamentary democracy.

 

• High-Level Parliamentary Delegations

 

Delegations from countries spanning West Asia, Europe, East Asia and Africa - including Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia and Georgia - called on the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in Parliament during 2025, reflecting the expanding global footprint of India’s parliamentary engagement. Discussions during these high-level interactions focused on legislative oversight, committee functioning and digital governance, with the visit of a South Korean delegation led by its former Prime Minister, further underscoring the growing stature of the Indian Parliament as a forum for meaningful democratic dialogue.

 

The year also witnessed visits by global leaders to the Parliament House. President of The Republic of Indonesia Mr. Prabowo Subianto, who was in India as the Chief Guest for the 76th Republic Day celebrations, visited the Parliament House and held discussions with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha on India’s parliamentary traditions. Shri Rishi Sunak, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, also visited the Parliament House during the year. Collectively, these engagements reinforced parliamentary diplomacy as a vital channel through which India is deepening legislative partnerships and sharing its democratic experience with the world.

 

• Global Parliamentary Engagements: Strengthening India’s Global Legislative Voice

 

During 2025, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, actively represented India at major international parliamentary fora, articulating India’s perspectives on global challenges including peace, security, climate action and democratic governance. He participated in the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in Guernsey, the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tashkent, the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brazil, and the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados. At the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Shri Birla underlined India’s principled stance against terrorism, stating that Pakistan had failed to take concrete action against terrorist infrastructure operating from its territory, and reaffirmed India’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism. He emphasised that India’s responses to cross-border terrorism have been measured, proportionate and responsible, aimed solely at neutralising terrorist threats.

           

II.  Enhancing House Proceedings and Parliamentary Productivity: Effective Conduct of Lok Sabha Sessions

 

Shri Om Birla has consistently emphasized discipline, decorum, and constructive debate in House proceedings, while implementing concrete measures to enhance parliamentary efficiency. During 2025, the Lok Sabha functioned across the Budget, Monsoon and Winter Sessions with sustained legislative engagement and significant productivity. The House met for a total of 62 sittings, with proceedings extending to over 290 hours during the year. The Fourth (Budget) Session comprised 26 sittings and recorded 160 hours and 48 minutes of work, achieving a productivity of around 118 per cent. The Fifth (Monsoon) Session included 21 sittings, during which the House functioned for 37 hours. The Sixth (Winter) Session saw 15 sittings, with proceedings lasting 92 hours and 25 minutes and a productivity level of 111 per cent. Taken together, these figures reflect the breadth of parliamentary business transacted during the year and the continued emphasis on legislative deliberation and institutional functioning of the Lok Sabha. During the Sessions, Shri Birla ensured that floor management and time allocation for debates were optimized, enabling Members to engage in meaningful discussions on bills and policy issues. The Speaker also introduced pre-session briefings for Members to enhance their preparedness and improve quality of debate.

 

Zero Hour and matters raised under Rule 377 continued to provide Members of the Lok Sabha with key avenues to raise issues of public importance during 2025. During the Budget Session, 691 matters were raised during Zero Hour (including a record 202 matters in a single day) and 566 matters under Rule 377; during the Monsoon Session, 158 Zero Hour matters and 537 Rule 377 matters were taken up; and during the Winter Session, Members raised 408 matters during Zero Hour and 372 matters under Rule 377, reflecting sustained parliamentary engagement across Sessions.

           

• Strengthening Committee System

 

The year also witnessed focused efforts to strengthen the committee system as a cornerstone of parliamentary democracy. Under the leadership of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, training workshops were organised for Members of Parliament on committee procedures and evidence-based policy evaluation, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and credibility of parliamentary oversight. At various parliamentary and international forums, the Speaker consistently underlined the central role of parliamentary committees in deepening legislative scrutiny and democratic functioning. Significantly, for the first time, three national-level conferences of parliamentary committees were convened during the year—of the Estimates Committee, the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the Committee on Empowerment of Women. The deliberations at these conferences are expected to contribute meaningfully to the strengthening of the committee system, not only at the national level but also across State Legislatures.

 

Further, four Select Committees of the Lok Sabha were constituted. Of these, the Select Committees on the Income-tax Bill, 2025 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 completed their examination and presented their reports to the House. In addition, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 submitted its report during the year, marking a significant milestone in parliamentary oversight and legislative scrutiny. The remaining Select Committees—on the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025—are expected to present their reports in the ensuing Session.

 

• Innovations in Legislative Workflow

 

During 2025, the Lok Sabha advanced a series of digital reforms aimed at modernising parliamentary functioning and enhancing transparency, accessibility and efficiency. With  Birla guiding key initiatives, digital systems for tracking questions, motions and legislative proposals were strengthened, streamlining parliamentary business and enabling more timely responses from Ministries. A major milestone was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the development of the Sansad Bhashini initiative, in the presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, to leverage artificial intelligence for multilingual support and improved parliamentary workflows. The introduction of AI-enabled tools for multilingual dissemination of parliamentary business, speech-to-text transcription of proceedings, and digital attendance marking through multimedia devices in the Lok Sabha Chamber further strengthened accountability and transparency in House proceedings, while advancing the goal of a more inclusive, technology-enabled Parliament.

 

III. National Conferences and Capacity-Building Initiatives

 

A key achievement of Lok Sabha in 2025 has been the expansion of national-level parliamentary conferences and seminars, fostering institutional learning, inter-legislative cooperation, and cooperative federalism. Specific initiatives include:

 

Several conferences held during the year contributed to expanding the reach of parliamentary democracy and strengthening the participation of States in parliamentary processes. These included the 85th All-India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) held in Patna, along with CPA Zonal Conferences organised in Dharamshala, Bengaluru and Kohima. These forums enabled Presiding Officers and legislators from across the country to deliberate on contemporary parliamentary practices, legislative challenges and institutional reforms, fostering greater coherence in legislative functioning. In a significant first, the National Conference of Chairpersons of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of States and Union Territories, held at Manesar in Gurugram, created a structured interface between urban governance institutions and parliamentary processes, reinforcing democratic linkages across different tiers of governance.

 

Through these initiatives, Lok Sabha has enhanced professional capacities, promoted cooperative federalism, and facilitated inter-legislative learning, thereby reinforcing the effectiveness and responsiveness of India’s democratic institutions.

 

In 2025, the Lok Sabha advanced a decisive shift towards technology-driven parliamentary functioning, positioning digital innovation as a central pillar of legislative reform. With the Speaker closely associated with key initiatives, a series of measures were implemented to enhance efficiency, transparency and accessibility in parliamentary processes. The launch of the Sansad Bhashini AI platform marked a significant milestone, enabling real-time multilingual translation and documentation of parliamentary proceedings and widening access for Members, researchers and citizens. Simultaneously, extensive digitisation of parliamentary records—including debates, questions and committee reports—improved public access to legislative information. Modernisation of the Lok Sabha Chamber and Committee Rooms through multimedia-enabled conferencing, digital attendance systems and technology-assisted workflows further streamlined House functioning. These reforms, complemented by capacity-building initiatives and enhanced digital outreach, strengthened parliamentary accountability and citizen engagement, underscoring the Lok Sabha’s emergence as a technologically empowered and future-ready legislative institution.

 

As part of the Lok Sabha’s ongoing digital modernisation, technology-enabled systems have been integrated into the functioning and security framework of Parliament House. With the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, closely associated with these initiatives, entry and access management within the Parliament complex have been strengthened through the use of smart identity cards, facial recognition–based authentication and fully computerised access control mechanisms. These measures have streamlined entry procedures, enhanced security protocols and enabled smooth, efficient movement of Members, officials and visitors, reflecting the adoption of modern technology to support the safe and effective functioning of Parliament.

 

IV. Upholding Constitutional Values and National Heritage

 

Alongside legislative and institutional responsibilities, the Speaker consistently emphasised the role of Parliament as a living symbol of India’s democratic and constitutional heritage. The Lok Sabha regularly observes anniversaries and occasions associated with eminent leaders, former Speakers, freedom fighters and architects of the Constitution who laid the foundations of parliamentary democracy in India. On occasions such as the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel, students from schools and colleges across the country are invited to the Parliament premises, particularly the historic Central Hall, where they share their perspectives on the lives and ideals of these leaders. These interactions provide the younger generation with a direct engagement with the nation’s democratic legacy, while allowing Parliament to hear the voices of India’s future citizens. Public tributes are also facilitated to B. R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution, through commemorative observances at his statue, reaffirming the enduring relevance of constitutional values. Similarly, tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda recognise his contribution to India’s freedom struggle and the central place of tribal communities in the national narrative. Together, these initiatives reflect Parliament not only as a forum for law-making, but also as a space for remembrance, dialogue and democratic education.

 

Overall, Lok Sabha emerged as a more citizen-centric and technologically empowered House, underscoring India’s rise as a robust democracy. 

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AM            

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