LS MPs to Mark Attendance from Seats, Ending Lobby Register Era

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In a bid to boost transparency and attendance in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla has announced that lawmakers will now have to mark their attendance electronically from their designated seats, starting from the upcoming budget session. This move is expected to improve attendance and prevent lawmakers from marking their attendance outside the House. The electronic system, which has been available alongside the register, will be the sole means of marking attendance from the budget session onwards. This change aims to bring more accountability and transparency to the system, as every MP is entitled to a daily allowance for attending a session, provided they have marked their attendance. The new system will not allow MPs to mark attendance after the House is adjourned. The Lok Sabha secretariat has already equipped every seat with an electronic console, making it easy to mark attendance electronically. The move comes ahead of the budget session, which will begin on January 28 with the presentation of the general budget on February 1. Speaker Birla has also reminded lawmakers that there are many ways to protest and oppose policies or bills, and that displaying posters and shouting slogans is not the only way to show dissent. In fact, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had high productivity in the 2025 winter session, with 111% and 121% respectively. Birla has emphasized the importance of leveraging technology for transparent and efficient legislative processes, and the Lok Sabha secretariat will provide technology support to assemblies for better capacity building.