India’s new parliament building is due to be inaugurated on Sunday 28 May. Commissioned in 1927, the current Parliament building has been in use for almost 100 years. Over the decades some problems with the current building have become more apparent. These include limited seating capacity at shared meetings, outdated communications technology, and deteriorating infrastructure. The new parliament building was developed as part of the Central Vista project and features state-of-the-art facilities. Let’s take a quick look.
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The new parliament building is bigger, better and equipped with the latest technology
The new seat of Indian democracy will have a built-up area of around 65,000 square meters. Its triangular shape ensures that this area is used optimally. The biggest functional improvement brought about by the new building is the expanded seating capacity. The Lok Sabha Hall now has a capacity of 888 members, while the Rajya Sabha Hall has a capacity of 384 members. For collaborative sessions, the Lok Sabha Hall can seat up to 1,272 people. The Hall for the House of Commons has a peacock theme, while the House of Lords has a lotus theme.
Lok Sabha
Apart from the architectural features, the new parliament building will also feature new communication technologies for both houses. Large screens and AV systems adorn the walls of both houses. But what’s even more interesting is the touchscreen display on each MEP’s desk. These display devices will support biometrics, allowing MPs to vote on bills directly from their seat. The microphones and real-time translation technology have also been significantly improved.
Even more impressive is the digitization of the entire parliamentary archives. These files help MPs research debates, allowing them to search for entries on a specific topic, time period, speakers and more. These archives are accessible via the smart displays in the seats of both halls.
Rajya Sabha
Parliamentary hearings in the new building will be transcribed in real time using AI-based speech-to-text technology. The algorithm is tuned to recognize different languages, dialects and accents. The transcription is automatically time-stamped and indexed. A similar automatic tagging function could also be used for audiovisual recordings. This allows members to look up a specific section of a speech or debate simply by typing the appropriate keyword.
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Diploma
A mobile application for the new Parliament is also in the works as part of the Digital Sansad project. This app keeps MEPs up to date on the daily parliamentary schedule and also gives them access to confidential files and the archives. After tomorrow’s inauguration, the new Parliament building will host the winter session later this year. The current building will also remain functional and will work in tandem with the new structure.
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