AMN / SRINAGAR
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today inaugurated the Parliamentary Outreach programme at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.
Speaking on this occasion, Mr Birla said that it was satisfactory to witness Jammu and Kashmir progressing on the developmental front. He expressed happiness over the steps taken by the Administration in empowering the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the UT.
The Speaker further said that the agenda of the government is to bring peace, prosperity and development to the UT. He said, Kashmir is known as heaven on earth and it was the duty of every stake holder to work together to make Kashmir heaven on the developmental front as well. He observed that India is a diverse country with varied languages and cultures. Despite that, it is the strong democratic institutions within the country that make it unique and integrated.
Outlining that the objective of the Outreach Programme is to make our democratic institutions at the grass-root level stronger and more transparent and accountable, Birla said that democratic institutions like Gram Panchayats can make people’s lives better and for that collective and coordinated efforts are needed at the ground level. ‘Empowered Panchayats will make our democracy stronger’, and will increase confidence of the people at large, he said.
Birla also referred to the ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav events and said that democracy in India has been strengthened over the period of time. He noted with satisfaction that hopes and aspirations of the people have been fulfilled to a large extent and now India is leading the world community in the journey of democracy. Shri Birla also said that it is democracy which connects our diversities and makes us a collective force. He stressed that our collective force can help us to overcome the adversities that impede our progress.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union MoS for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel, MoS for Education, Annpurna Devi and Member of Parliament Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Earlier, welcoming Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Nirmal Kumar Singh, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, appreciated the initiative of the Lok Sabha Speaker in involving the highest institution of our democracy in strengthening local bodies at the grass-root level. Singh said that the visit of Shri Birla is a milestone in the journey of democratic institution building in Jammu and Kashmir.
Secretary General, Lok Sabha, Utpal Kumar Singh, presented the Vote of Thanks
Later, three panel discussions were held on (i) Indian Parliament and Grass Root level Institutions: Potential and Challenges – Stepping stone towards leadership, (ii) Leadership of Panchayat: Social Change, Economic Development and Empowerment of women in rural areas, and (iii) Role of Panchayats on promotion of Tourism, Culture and Handicrafts in Jammu & Kashmir. During these panel discussions, the delegates shared their experiences and ideas to fine tune their work in their respective areas.