Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the newly-renovated Vidhan Sabha dome and several other facilities on Sunday, ahead of the state assembly's Monsoon Session.
The upgrades include a new Assembly Mandap, Assembly Hall No. 15, and a VIP lounge. The session is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 11, and will feature the pilot implementation of an innovative new AI surveillance system.
The Chief Minister also attended an all-party meeting to discuss the upcoming session, which was convened by Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana where leaders from both the ruling side and the opposition were present.
Key issues were discussed during the session. Other leaders present at the meeting were Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna, Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, Minister Sanjay Nishad, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra, BSP MLA Umashankar Singh, MLA Kunwar Raghuraj Pratap Singh, among others.
The most significant development for the next session is the use of AI-powered cameras. This technology will strengthen security and present minute-by-minute analysis of the legislative process. The cameras will be face-recognisable, and they will identify MLAs and monitor their attendance, activity, and performance.
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It has been learnt that every legislator's details — name, party, and constituency — will be saved in the system. The AI will also track who visits the assembly, for how long they stay, and what they talk about. In this way, one can get topic-based content analysis of their speeches.
Mahana described the new system as a positive move towards greater transparency and accountability, stating that it is not for "monitoring" but for improving the functioning of the assembly. He added that there should not be any objection since MLAs are already under public scrutiny. The Monsoon Session follows the Budget Session earlier this year, which lasted over three weeks and saw the presentation of the state's ₹8 lakh crore budget for 2025-26.
Chief Minister Adityanath recently participated in the closing ceremony for the 100th anniversary of the Kakori Train Action. He visited the Kakori Shaheed Memorial, dedicated to the freedom fighters involved in the 1925 incident, and also celebrated Raksha Bandhan with young girls at the event.
He also laid the foundation for 222 projects worth ₹659 crore in Sambhal, where he delivered a public address criticising political opponents and foreign invaders.