PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
President Droupadi Murmu has exhorted the people of Uttarakhand to undertake an introspection on completion of 25 years of creation of the State. She said that a collective effort should be made to prepare a plan for making the State one of the leading states of the country. She was addressing a special session of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha on Monday.
The President appreciated the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha for the passage of the Uniform Civil Code bill. She said that the framers of the constitution have made provision for UCC under article 44 of the constitution. Terming legislative assemblies pillars of the parliamentary system, she said that the constant accountability to the public is both a strength and a challenge of the parliamentary system.
The President said that legislators are the most important link between the public and the government. She emphasised that if MLAs remain actively engaged in solving public problems and work for their welfare, the bond of trust between the public and their representatives will be unbreakable. She urged members of the VS to pursue development and public welfare work with complete dedication and added that providing growth opportunities to the younger generation should also be their priority. The President said that it is appreciable that Uttarakhand VS has passed more than 550 bills in the last 25 years which included UCC, Uttarakhand Lokayukta bill and the Uttarakhand Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms bill.
The President said that Uttarakhand is blessed with unparalleled natural wealth and beauty. The State must move forward on the path of development while preserving these gifts of nature. The President said that the State has made commendable progress in the areas of environment, energy, tourism, healthcare, and education. There has also been progress in digital and physical connectivity and infrastructure development. As a result of comprehensive development efforts, Uttarakhand has improved on several parameters of the human development indices. The President expressed confidence that with the spirit of ‘nation first’, members of the Uttarakhand VS will continue to take the State and the country forward on the path of rapid development.
In her welcome address, Assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri said that in the last 25 years, Uttarakhand has made progress in all the fields. She said that the system of the National Electronic Vidhan Sabha has been implemented in Uttarakhand VS.
The leader of opposition Yashpal Arya said that Uttarakhand is the land where world famous Chipko movement gave guidance to the world under the leadership of Gaura Devi. He said that the State houses famous religious sites of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that it is for the second time that the President of India addressed the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha. First being former President Pranab Mukerjee on May 18, 2015. The governor lieutenant general ( retd) Gurmit Singh expressed hope that the special session will provide a direction for the future of the State.
