IndiaPosted at: Oct 26 2026 11:11PM


Om Birla Calls on BRICS Parliaments to Ensure Human Oversight in Technology Use

New Delhi, Oct 26 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday called on BRICS parliaments to ensure that technological advancement, including the growing use of artificial intelligence, remained ethical, transparent and accountable, stressing that human oversight must remain paramount as digital innovations reshape governance and legislative processes.
Addressing the plenary session of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum 2026 in New Delhi, Birla said countries representing nearly half of the world's population had a shared responsibility to ensure that technology served humanity, upheld human dignity and respected parliamentary sovereignty. He also called for stronger international cooperation to address emerging challenges arising from rapid technological transformation.
Highlighting India's experience in digital parliamentary governance, Birla outlined initiatives such as Digital Sansad, the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) and multilingual digital platforms, which have improved legislative efficiency, transparency and public access to parliamentary proceedings. Secure digital systems enable members of Parliament to access questions, answers and responses from government departments online, strengthening accountability and streamlining legislative work.
Birla emphasised that making parliamentary proceedings accessible across linguistic communities was central to inclusive democracy. The daily List of Business is currently available in 10 languages, with efforts under way to extend the facility to all 22 scheduled languages. Simultaneous interpretation in 22 languages has also been introduced to enable wider participation in parliamentary deliberations.
India is also digitising parliamentary debates from both before and after Independence, incorporating metadata and video-search facilities to preserve the country's legislative heritage and make historical records more accessible to citizens, researchers and scholars. Other initiatives include round-the-clock online access to research papers, home delivery of books from the Parliament Library and the expansion of paperless governance.
Through NeVA and the 'One Nation, One Legislative Platform' initiative, India is seeking to digitally connect legislatures and provide easier access to live-streamed proceedings, debates, budgets and information on law-making. These measures, Birla indicated, demonstrate how technology can strengthen democratic institutions while making legislative processes more open and accessible.
He also highlighted India's Digital Public Infrastructure, which has expanded access to services, promoted financial inclusion and facilitated the direct transfer of government benefits into beneficiaries' bank accounts. Such systems have helped improve transparency, reduce leakages and curb corruption. However, Birla stressed that technological progress must remain human-centric, with digital systems operating within ethical boundaries and respecting individual dignity and human sensitivities.
On the sidelines of the forum, Birla held bilateral meetings with parliamentary delegations from the United Arab Emirates, China and Iran, focusing on parliamentary cooperation, diplomatic engagement and ways to strengthen bilateral relations amid evolving regional and global challenges.
During his meeting with Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the UAE's Federal National Council, Birla reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between India and the UAE and discussed expanding parliamentary engagement through regular dialogue, exchanges of delegations and the sharing of best practices. Their discussions covered digital governance, Digital Sansad, artificial intelligence, the functioning of parliamentary committees and India's Online Assurance Monitoring System.
The two leaders also explored avenues for greater cooperation in trade, investment, education, youth exchanges and people-to-people contacts. They linked their countries' development priorities with India's vision of Viksit Bharat and the UAE's We the UAE 2031 programme, while underscoring the importance of diplomacy in promoting regional peace and stability.
In his meeting with Zheng Jianbang, Vice Chairman of China's National People's Congress, Birla stressed that India and China, as neighbouring countries, shared a responsibility to maintain peace and tranquillity along their border and resolve differences amicably through dialogue and mutual respect.
The discussions also covered parliamentary exchanges, regular communication and cooperation in education, healthcare and technology. Birla emphasised the role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening bilateral ties, expanding trade and fostering closer people-to-people contacts.
He expressed confidence that continued engagement through Parliamentary Friendship Groups and multilateral platforms such as BRICS would promote mutual understanding between the two countries.
Birla also met Dr Ahmed Naderi, a member of the Presidium of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly, and recalled the historical ties between India and Iran, along with high-level engagements between the two countries, including a meeting in September 2026.
Emphasising the importance of peace and stability in West Asia, the two leaders discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation, including efforts to take forward collaboration relating to Chabahar Port, a strategically important connectivity project.
Naderi expressed gratitude for the medicines, assistance and other support extended by India to Iran. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to sustained engagement and the strengthening of their longstanding relationship.
The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum provides a platform for legislators from member countries to discuss shared challenges, democratic institutions, technological transformation and multilateral cooperation.
India's emphasis on responsible technology and digital parliamentary infrastructure, alongside Birla's bilateral engagements, highlighted the forum's twin objectives of strengthening legislative institutions and deepening diplomatic ties among participating nations.
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