JS to go digital from budget session

Jatiya Sangsad will introduce digital technology on a limited scale to run its proceedings from the budget session beginning Wednesday, reports NewAge.
Allocation of time for lawmakers will be displayed on giant television screens, to be set up inside the chamber; the microphone will go automatically switched off once their time is over for certain businesses, parliament speaker Abdul Hamid told New Age on Monday.
‘This is the beginning. We are working on bringing the rest of the business under digital technology,’ said Hamid. The TV screen will show lawmakers speaking on the floor.
At present, allocation of time is being maintained manually and the speaker needs to order officials to switch on the lawmakers’ microphone.
Officials at the parliament secretariat are preparing for installation of four big screens inside the house as the budget session is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm Wednesday.
The finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, is expected to place the proposed national budget for 2010-2011 fiscal year in the parliament on June 10. The proposals will be debated in the house for 20 days before its passage.
The finance minister, who had a check-up for a mild chest pain in a hospital last week, discussed the budget placing procedure at a meeting with the speaker on Sunday.
The size of the budget for 2010-11 fiscal year is expected to be Tk 134,000 crore, of which Tk 38,500 crore will be dedicated to the government’s annual development programme.
The government has projected the GDP growth at 6.7 per cent for the upcoming fiscal beginning on July 1. This will be the second budget of the Awami League-led alliance government since it assumed office in January 4, 2009.
The budget session, also the fifth session of the ninth parliament which came into being on January 25, 2009, will deal with a number of other businesses as well. The session is expected to last until late July.
Apart from passage of the national budget, the session will deal with bills and resolutions. Fifteen bills remained pending with the parliament secretariat while a few others are expected to be placed in the coming session. The education and tourism policies may also be placed in the parliament, officials said.
The fourth session of the parliament was prorogued on May 16.

Courtesy of NewAge