Stating that Parliamentary Democracy is the custodian of basic Constitutional rights of the people, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has urged the elected representatives of the people not to denigrate the Parliament by their words and deeds. He was addressing the participants of the 49th Youth Parliament Competition, 2014-15 here today. The competition was organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for the schools of the Delhi Government and New Delhi Municipal Council. The Minister felicitated the winners of the competition.
Naqvi said that despite challenges from time to time, Parliamentary Democracy in the country withstood the test of times. He noted that Parliamentary Democracy is not an instrument to attain power but a solemn commitment to serve the people and this commitment should never be diluted. The Minister stressed that it was the fundamental responsibility of the people to elect right kind of representatives who could further strengthen Parliamentary institutions and democracy. He urged the youth to take constructive interest in politics and public life. Shri Naqvi said, activities like Youth Parliament Competition promotes awareness about Parliamentary democracy among the youth.
Noting that functioning of Parliament impacts life of common man in a variety of ways, Shri Naqvi urged fellow Parliamentarians to make best use of Parliament for the welfare of the people. Among the 34 schools that participated in the competition, Happy School, Daryaganj, Delhi emerged as the Best Performer to win the Pandit Motilal Nehru Running Parliamentary Shield. Other schools who won Trophies for meritorious performance were: Little Flower School, Shivaji Park, Shahdra, Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura, New Era Public School, Mayapuri, Government Girls Senior Secondary School No. 1, Najafgarh, Air Force Senior Secondary School, Race Course, Presentation Convent Sr.Secondary School, S.P.Mukherjee Marh, Sarvodaya Kanya Vidayalaya, Adarsh Nagar and Navyug School, Lodhi Road. From a humble beginning in 1966 when the first competition was organized with participation of 16 schools of Delhi Administration, the Youth Parliament Scheme now covers 1200 schools in NCT of Delhi, 1200 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 600 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 300 Universities and Colleges across the country.