1. Mizoram was one of the districts of Assam
State till it attained a status of Union Territory in 1972. Mizoram
Legislative Assembly started functioning on 10th May of the same year
with thirty elected and three nominated Members. The Assembly
Secretariat also started functioning simultaneously absorbing the
employees of the defunct Mizo District Council and the Council Hall
was converted to Assembly House. Mizoram attained Statehood on 20th
February 1987 and the first State Assembly was instituted in March,
1987 with a total membership of forty. A new Assemly Building was
constructed at a cost of Rs.564.52 lakhs and it was occupied in 1996.
2. The Mizoram Legislative Assembly celebrated its Silver
Jubilee in May 1997. The celebration was marked by a meeting at Vanapa
Hall, a public meeting at 1st AR Ground and a grand feast for former
and sitting MLAs and MPs as well as employees of Assembly Secretariat
and their families. The celebration was attended by Shri
G.M.C.Balayogi, the then Speaker of Lok Sabha and many dignitaries
from other State Legislatures.
3. Mizoram Legislative Assembly has been a full-fledged member
of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association since 1987. It has
actively participated in the conferences and meetings organised by the
Association inside the country and abroad. This Assembly has also
hosted the second Conference of North East Region Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association in April 1998.
4. Mizoram Legislative Assembly has a powerful Committee
System. At present it has twenty standing Committees. Excepting the
three financial Committees, viz. Public Accounts Committee, Estimates
Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings, which are constituted
for a term of thirty months, the term of all the Committees is one
year from the date of constitution. Names of Committees, their
constitution and functions are given in the subsequent chapter under
the caption ‘COMMITTEES OF MIZORAM LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY’.
5. This Assembly, in collaboration with the Bureau of
Parliamentary Studies and Training (BPST), organised an orientation
programme on Committee System for MLAs and officers of the Assembly
secretariat at New MLA Hostel from 19th to 21st January 1998. Shri
G.C.Malhotra, Additional Secretary, John Joseph, Joint Secretary and
other senior officers of Lok Sabha presented papers and delivered
lectures on the subject.
6. On a request made by the Mizoram Legislative Assembly
Secretariat, the BPST, Lok Sabha Secretariat organised training
programmed in New Delhi from 21st to 23rd April 1999 exclusively for
newly elected MLAs from Mizoram which was attended by twenty-six MLAs
accompanied by five officials of the Mizoram Legislative Assembly
Secretariat.
7. From the very beginning, Mizoram Legislative Assembly has
been maintaining a very high degree of decorum in the House and
‘pandemonium’ is a term almost unknown in this Assembly. With a view
to upkeep, nurture and also to enhance the existing standard of
decorum, a Code of Conduct for Members of Mizoram Legislative Assembly
was incorporated in the Rules of Procedure, and Committee on Ethics
has been constituted to oversee the moral conduct of Members and to
examine cases of misconduct of members with reference to the Code of
Conduct. Mizoram Legislative Assembly is the first Assembly to
telecast live the entire proceedings of the session through local
cable TV channels. This practice greatly helps the general public in
acquiring first hand knowledge of the functioning of legislature and
the contribution made by each and every member in the shaping of the
future of the state. At the same time,it greatly shapes the conduct
and behaviour of members inside the House immensely contributing to
the enhancement of the existing degree of decorum.
8. Computerization of the Assembly Library and construction of
Mizoram Legislative Assembly Website are the important achievements
made recently in the field of Information Technology. Constitution of
Budget Committee, having a power to determine the size of the Annual
Budget of the Assembly Secretariat with the approval of the Speaker,
also places the Assembly in a position never occupied in the history
of Mizoram Legislative Assembly. It is a significant milestone in a
march towards independence of the Legislature.
9. Two major projects – constructions of Assembly House Annexed
and Staff Quarters, are underway and they are expected to be completed
within a few years.
10. As provided under Article 187 of the Constitution of India,
Mizoram Legislative Assembly has separate conditions of service and
recruitment rules. The recruitment and condition of services of the
officers and staff are regulated by the Mizoram Legislative Assembly
Secretariat (Recruitment and Condition of Service) Rules,1995. Under
these rules, the Speaker has full administrative and financial powers
in respect of the Legislature Secretariat. For the purpose of
administration, the Secretary shall exercise powers as may be
delegated to him by the Speaker.
11. In pursuance of the recommendations of the General Purposes
Committee in its sitting on 26.6.1998 and the decision of the meeting
of Council of Ministers held on 28.5.1999, the Hon. Speaker
constituted the Pay Committee for the employees of Mizoram Legislative
Assembly Secretariat on 22.6.1999 with the following members :-
i. Speaker - Chairman
ii. Minister i/c Finance - Member
iii. Minister i/c Parliamentary Affairs – Member
iv. Deputy Speaker - Member
v. Chairman, Estimates Committee - Member
vi. Chairman, PAC - Member
vii. Chairman, COPU - Member
viii. Leader of Opposition - Member
The function of the Committee is to advise the Speaker on the changes
that are considered desirable in the structure of scales of pay and
allowances of officers and all categories of employees of the Assembly
Secretariat in the context of the decision of the Govt. of Mizoram on
the recommendations of Fifth Pay Commission.
