MPs to have a unique call centre to answer their queries 24/7

A unique call centre for members of Parliament has came into action, an initiative of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who believes this will improve the efficiency of lawmakers who have to alter their parliamentary responsibilities with managing their constituencies.

The 24/7 call centre, named Information and Communication Centre, will assist MPs on all aspects — from administrative (finding out the status of pending travel bills) to functional (providing background research on key issues).

The call centre, which started as a pilot last month, has been given a dedicated room (no 13) in the Parliament House annex and at least three officials have been deployed to man it for now, a senior official at the Lok Sabha secretariat said on Friday.

Apart from a chief coordinator and a few coordinators, the call centre also has temporary nodal officers who are part of a WhatsApp group, as explained in a letter written by joint secretary of Member Service Branch Abha Singh Yaduvanshi.

According to functionaries associated with the call centre, there has been a steady stream of enquiries. During the last two weeks of the Winter Session, for instance, they said they received queries on travel bills, appointments for “the special health check-up camp that was organised by Speaker Om Birla” and about background research papers on different subjects.

According to the letter, the National Informatics Centre will develop the software for the information centre.

The new call centre is expected to be fully functional by the end of the year. Initially, it will serve Lok Sabha MPs, but such a system might also be used for Rajya Sabha MPs in the future.