The Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on Tuesday became the second legislature in the country after Kerala to launch a television channel to telecast House proceedings.

Chief minister Hemant Soren along with Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato launched the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha TV and studio on Tuesday evening and termed it a historic step.

“Now residents of Jharkhand and those having roots in the state but staying elsewhere can learn about the issues raised in the Assembly and the solution meted out by the respective ministers. Apart from direct telecast on Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha TV, its content can be seen on YouTube and other social media platforms. It will serve as a bridge connecting the people, the government and the Assembly,” the chief minister said.

Mahato said the Assembly has acknowledged the changing times and decided to take the House proceedings directly to the people.

Kerala had launched Sabha TV in August last year to telecast House proceedings.

According to sources in the Jharkhand public relations department, the Vidhan Sabha TV with its own studio will initially rent slots on prominent television channels to telecast programmes. Apart from telecasting the House proceedings and programmes on the two decades of the Assembly, the OTT platform would transform into a full-fledged channel.

Vidhan Sabha TV will be run on the lines of Lok Sabha TV. It would be operated by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat.

“The channel’s objective is to create awareness among masses even in remote areas about the Assembly proceedings by way of direct communication. We have seen how successful Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha channels have become under the Sansad Television Network. It aims to ensure that democratic processes percolate down to the masses. People have the right to know what their elected representatives are doing in the legislature,” said Soren.

Sources in the chief minister’s office revealed that the channel will also try to showcase through the social media platform the role played by the elected representatives from the Opposition and their stand on several important issues in the Assembly.

“The Opposition MLAs cannot simply disturb House proceedings as now their action would be directly shown through the OTT platform to the masses,” said a close aide of the chief minister.