Jaipur. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani said that the State Assembly is a powerful platform for resolving the problems of the eight crore people of the state, and it is the responsibility of all of us to resolve the issues raised by the elected representatives of the people regarding public problems. Therefore, state government officials should take the task of answering the questions of the Honorable MLAs seriously and prioritize sending timely replies to Assembly questions along with their other duties, so that the Rajasthan Assembly becomes a model assembly in the country with zero pendency.

Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani was presiding over a high-level meeting on Friday in the State Assembly with the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, and other senior officers of the state government regarding pending questions, calling attention motions, special mention proposals, assurances, and petitions.Devnani interacted with the officers of various departments and also inquired about the reasons for the delay in receiving replies to the questions.

*Send replies to all pending questions, calling attention motions, and special mention proposals by January 15th -* Expressing deep concern over the delay in receiving timely replies to pending questions in the Assembly, Devnani instructed the officers to ensure that replies to all pending questions, calling attention motions, and special mention proposals are sent by January 15th, keeping in mind the upcoming budget session of the Assembly. He said that although there has been a significant improvement in the matter of receiving answers to pending questions in the Legislative Assembly, there is still a need to expedite the process further.

Devnani stated that after the conclusion of the fourth session of the 16th Legislative Assembly, answers to 35 percent of the questions, numbering approximately 2031, are still pending. He said that the Legislative Assembly has fixed a time limit for answering all types of questions (as mentioned in the Assembly's handbook), and therefore, the failure of various departments to send answers on time is a matter of concern. He expressed his distress that some departments are not showing seriousness in sending answers to questions within the stipulated time frame. He warned that no further negligence will be tolerated.
Devnani also took serious note of cases of incorrect answers to questions and instructed officials to pay special attention to ensuring that this does not happen again in the future. He said that the responsibility for implementing the assurances given by ministers in the House rests with the secretaries of the concerned departments. There should be no laxity in fulfilling this responsibility.
Devnani said that fulfilling the expectations of the general public from the state government is the responsibility of both the legislature and the executive. In particular, the secretaries of the state government must understand their responsibility in implementing public expectations and work with the state government and the legislature in a spirit of teamwork. He said that the secretaries of all departments should cooperate in resolving public problems and ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities within the stipulated time frame. He instructed the officials to remain seated in the officers' gallery of the Legislative Assembly throughout the question hour and during discussions.

*No need to call another meeting regarding questions-* Mr. Devnani said that officials should coordinate with their departmental ministers and subordinate officers and monitor matters related to the Assembly in such a way that they do not need to call such a meeting again in the future regarding pending questions.

*Hold camps and resolve issues-* Devnani said that all departments should hold camps and take action on a war footing to resolve issues related to questions from the Legislative Assembly. If you encounter any practical difficulties or problems in resolving these matters, please explain them openly. Also, suggest possible solutions so that the problems can be resolved.

During the meeting, the State Chief Secretary, V. Srinivas, assured the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly that, as per his instructions, all departments would hold camps to resolve the pending questions of the Legislative Assembly within the stipulated timeframe. He further stated that all departments would continue to take all instructions from the Legislative Assembly seriously and strive to fulfill their responsibilities on time.

A department-wise presentation on the status of pending cases from the 16th and 15th Rajasthan Legislative Assemblies was given during the meeting. The meeting was attended by the State Chief Secretary V. Srinivas, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries of various departments, along with the Principal Secretary of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, and other senior officials.

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