Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla issued an official notification on September 19, specifying that the old Parliament building will now be known as ‘Samvidhan Sadan’ as the sitting members have now shifted to a new complex.
“Lok Sabha Speaker is pleased to notify the building previously known as Parliament House as the ‘Samvidhan Sadan,” read the notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The announcement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his speech in the Central Hall, referred to the presiding officers of the two Houses and suggested that the old Parliament building be renamed ‘Samvidhan Sadan’.
The Constituent Assembly first met on December 9, 1946 at the Central Hall of the old Parliament and continued sittings till January 24, 1950. The task of drafting the Constitution of Independent India was undertaken in the Constitution Hall, later known as the Central Hall of the Parliament House.
After the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, the Assembly ceased to exist, transforming itself into the Provisional Parliament of India until a new Parliament was constituted in 1952.
The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949 and formally signed by the Members of the Assembly on January 24, 1950.
The old Parliament was also a place for informal interaction among MPs and leaders with members of the Press. In the new Parliament building, such joint sessions will be held in the Lok Sabha chamber.
(with inputs from ANI)
