Karnataka Assembly gets AI touch to track lawmakers' attendance

Bengaluru: Lawmakers attending the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature starting July 15 will find themselves under the watch of Artificial Intelligence-enabled cameras that will record the number of times they enter and exit the Assembly.

This data will be available on a dashboard, which Speaker UT Khader will use to recognise lawmakers who come to the session on time, but also those who spend the most number of hours participating in the proceedings.

Apparently, the AI-based cameras will come with facial recognition to identify lawmakers.

After becoming Speaker last year, Khader started the practice of recognising MLAs who came to the Assembly earlier than scheduled or on time. But MLAs who came late, but stayed until the end of a day's proceedings got no attention. The new system has been put in place to address this grievance.

"We give the Best Legislator award considering those who come early to the session. But there were suggestions that MLAs who stay back till the end must be considered as well. So, this will be calculated using technology," Khader told a news conference.

Khader also said that a mobile app will be out soon for people to know more details about the Vidhana Soudha, the offices located there and so on.

Plus, the Assembly Secretariat is giving the Vidhana Soudha a facelift without damaging the heritage structure.

In the first phase, gates at the entrance of the Legislative Assembly have been renovated. "For the first time in 70 years, the iron gates at the entrance have been renovated," Khader said. The entrance now has new rosewood to make it look good. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate this on July 15.

Meanwhile, Legislative Council chairperson Basavaraj Horatti frowned upon ministers renovating their chambers as per their whims and fancies. "The entire Vidhana Soudha is constructed based on Vaastu. Some ministers or legislators renovating their chambers citing Vaastu is not acceptable," Horatti said.

The monsoon session will be held from July 15 to 26. On July 20, the Assembly Secretariat is hosting a chess competition for lawmakers, officers and journalists.

'No info on Nagendra's arrest'

Reacting to the Enforcement Directorate taking Bellary MLA B Nagendra, a former minister, into custody, Speaker Khader said his office has not received any information. "If it was during the Assembly session, they (ED) should have taken our permission," he added.