India needs a new Parliament building as the current one is in great “distress,” according to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in a proposal to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).
In her letter, Ms. Mahajan has said that a structure more spacious and technologically advanced than the current one should be built either within the Parliament building or outside it across the Rajpath.
Reason Given
Citing the reasons for having a new building, Ms. Mahajan has said that the Lok Sabha seats are likely to increase after 2026 “in accordance with the provisions of the explanation to clause (3) Article 81 of the Constitution.” Since the current building has the capacity for 550 members, there is no space left for more members.
What Article 81 Says
The number of Lok Sabha seats can only go up if the country’s population increases to a degree where the Article 81 becomes applicable.
The Article 81 commands balancing the representation of people in Parliament on the basis of the population recorded by the last census.
Background
This is not the first time that this has been proposed. Former Speaker Meira Kumar too proposed a change of venue and had constituted a committee to look into the matter.
A fire hazard audit had also been instituted as a result of which cooking and storing of gas cylinders inside Parliament have been mostly discontinued.
Current Affairs: 28th December, 2015 Important Days in November and December Current Affairs bullet points Round up 15th to 21st December, 2015 Current Affairs Round up November, 2015.
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