Srinagar, June 1: Speaker Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Abdul Rahim Rather today chaired a high-level meeting with Chairmen of various Assembly Committees to review their functioning and define key responsibilities aimed at strengthening legislative oversight and governance.

The meeting was attended by Chairpersons of key committees, including Public Accounts, Estimates, Public Undertakings, Government Assurances, Ethics, Privileges, Subordinate Legislation, and Petitions, along with senior officials of the Assembly Secretariat.
The Speaker stressed the crucial role of Assembly Committees in ensuring executive accountability through detailed, non-partisan scrutiny of government policies, public expenditure, and legislative proposals.
He issued directions to streamline committee functioning, emphasizing that members should not miss two or more consecutive sittings, warning that unauthorized absenteeism would be dealt with strictly as per rules.
To improve efficiency, the Speaker directed that a minimum gap of 15 days be maintained between consecutive meetings to allow adequate time for preparation of agendas and responses by departments and the Secretariat.
He further instructed that only one government department be taken up per meeting to ensure focused discussions, and that deliberations remain strictly confined to the scheduled agenda.
The Speaker also called for stronger coordination between the General Administration Department, Law Department, and the Assembly Secretariat to ensure effective implementation of committee recommendations.
He directed issuance of a circular to all departments regarding timely compliance with committee observations and stressed the need for proper follow-up on reports laid before the House.
Commissioner Secretary GAD M. Raju and Secretary JKLA Manoj Pandita were also present in the meeting.