The Second Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone-II (North Zone), which was inaugurated yesterday by the Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, concluded today with the valedictory address by the Governor of Haryana, Prof. Asim Kumar Ghosh. Addressing the valedictory ceremony, Lok Sabha Speaker stated that frequent interruptions and disruptions in the Houses pose a serious challenge to democratic institutions.
He underlined that the solution to this problem lies within the legislative institutions themselves by promoting conduct aligned with public expectations, dialogue, and meaningful discussion. Strengthening public trust is the greatest responsibility of all public representatives today.
He called upon the public representatives to ensure that their conduct in legislative institutions is exemplary so that the welfare of the last person in society can be secured. Shri Birla remarked, "Society is shaped by the conduct and behavior of its leadership.
The public has elected and sent us here, hence our conduct has a direct impact on society." He hoped that all legislators would assimilate these resolutions in their respective states and institutions and move forward.
Expressing happiness over the successful organization of the two-day conference, Shri Birla said that public representatives and policy-makers from various states shared their experiences, perspectives, and innovations here. He informed that the conference concluded with four important resolutions aimed at making legislative institutions more effective, accountable, and people-centric.
He said that the dream of a Developed India (Viksit Bharat) is anchored on strong parliamentary and legislative institutions. To achieve this, it is absolutely essential to increase public participation, maximize the use of technology, enhance the capacity of legislators, ensure the involvement of citizens in framing policies and laws, and raise awareness toward the Constitution and constitutional institutions.
He further added that all the resolutions passed in the conference form a strong foundation for the future, through which the legislative and democratic institutions of the country will progress with public cooperation. He emphasized that our objective is to build a participatory democracy that accords special importance to the development of states, as the dream of a Developed India will only be realized through the holistic development of the states.
In India's federal structure, the states and the Centre can fulfill the aspirations of the people only by working together through schemes, laws, and policies. He stated that bringing about transformation with new perspectives and fresh ideas is the need of the hour.
He expressed satisfaction that nearly 40 speakers gave meaningful suggestions in this direction during the conference. He voiced confidence that if we act promptly on these ideas, both public participation and trust in the country's democratic institutions will increase.
Shri Birla stated that the 21st century is India's century, and we must move forward by keeping the aspirations of the youth, women, and all sections of society at the center. He laid special emphasis on increasing the participation of youth and women in democratic processes, cultivating awareness about the Constitution and a sense of duty right from student life, and making the development of states the bedrock of national development.
He expressed hope that the new ideas and resolutions emerging from the conference would provide new energy and direction toward building a Developed India. Presiding Officers from the legislatures of 12 states across the country participated in this two-day CPA India Region Zone-II (North Zone) Conference.
In addition to the member states of CPA Zone-II—Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Delhi—Presiding Officers from other state legislatures including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and West Bengal also participated.
On this occasion, the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh, and the Speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, Shri Harvinder Kalyan, also shared their views. The Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, Shri Krishan Lal Middha, presented the vote of thanks.