LS speaker Om Birla inaugurates 19th Annual Zone III CPA India Conference in Gangtok

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla addressed the Valedictory Session of the 19^th Annual Zone III Conference of CPA India Region at Gangtok, Sikkim today.

Shri Laxman Prasad Acharya, Governor of Sikkim; Shri Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister of Sikkim; Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha; Shri Pasang D. Sona, Speaker of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and President of CPA India Region Zone-III; Shri Arun Kumar Upreti, Speaker of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly; Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies of India; Member of Parliament; Members of the Sikkim Legislature and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Shri Om Birla expressed concern over unparliamentary behavior and the use of undesirable words in political discourse and said that such incidents erode peoples' faith in democratic institutions. He stressed that probity is an essential ingredient of public life as it has a deep impact on public opinion. Shri Birla suggested that politicians should be restrained and dignified in their behavior inside and outside the House. Shri Birla stressed that the entire country looks up to the public representatives; what they say, what they do becomes an example, which is a huge responsibility on people's representatives. He added that the conduct, behavior and words of public representatives inside and outside the House should be such that it sends a positive message and establishes ideals in society and this applies to every democratic institution in the nation. Shri Birla also said that the responsibility of local bodies and panchayats is the same as that of the state and national level legislative bodies.

Shri Birla appreciated the active role of CPA India Region Zone III in organizing regular discussions among legislative bodies. Shri Birla said that the Northeast region, brimming with immense possibilities, is finding solutions to the challenges facing the region through extensive discussion and dialogue and is playing a leading role in the nation's journey of development. Referring to the various ambitious projects of the Union Government for the North Eastern region; Shri Birla said that due to the many important decisions taken by the Government coupled with the untiring efforts of the people, the North Eastern region has taken a giant leap towards development in the last few years.

In the context of the three themes of the conference namely 'Making Parliament and Legislatures more accessible to the public', 'Drug abuse and future plans to combat this menace', and 'Cyber Bullying', Shri Birla observed that all these three topics are very relevant in the context of all the North Eastern States and have been discussed at length during the Conference. On the topic 'Making Parliament and Legislatures more accessible to the public', Shri Birla said that in today's era technology is changing rapidly, therefore there is an urgent need to be proactive. Shri Birla said that work is going on in Parliament on an ambitious 'Digital Parliament Project', the main objective of which is to make the functioning of Parliament more accessible to the people and to make it an effective interface between lawmakers and citizens.

On the second theme of the Conference, Shri Birla said that drug abuse is a national problem. He added that it is a borderless crime, which makes the problem exceptionally challenging. Referring to the extensive international borders of the North Eastern states and the hilly terrain, Shri Birla said that due to these factors, there is a high risk of drug trafficking in the region. Shri Birla said that there is an urgent need for coordination not only among all the drug law enforcement and intelligence agencies but also among all border districts and states of the region to tackle the drug menace. Shri Birla urged public representatives at all levels to cooperate and coordinate and convey anti drug message to every community and emphasized on making the campaign a mass movement.

On cyber-bullying, Shri Birla praised the Assam government's U-Report, an interactive digital tool for online safety, and called for similar initiatives to be implemented in other states. He added that the youth are being provided opportunities to enhance their potential through “Advancing North East” which will provide necessary knowledge and guidance to the youth of North East region regarding education, employment and entrepreneurship. Shri Birla urged the gathering to undertake reforms and change policies and laws in time so as to strengthen the legal system to meet emerging challenges. He emphasized that if need be stringent laws will be enacted to deal with this problem.

In his valedictory address, Governor of Sikkim, Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya said that the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association works together as a community in its commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance. It is purposefully serving its role as an association to for the parliamentarians of the Commonwealth countries by providing a platform for regular dialogue, exchange of ideas and information.