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President lauds democratic traditions set by Himachal assembly
Ram Nath Kovind was addressing the special session of the Vidhan Sabha in Shimla to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of Himachal’s statehood
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hailed Himachal Pradesh for the milestones it achieved in its 50-year journey as a state.
He was addressing the special session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of Himachal’s statehood.
Himachal was declared the 18th state of Union of India on January 25, 1971.
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In his address, President Kovind said he felt honoured to address the state assembly in the Council Chamber building which has been witness to many historic moments.
“It was here in 1925 that Vithal Bhai Patel defeated the British nominee to win the election and become president of central legislative assembly,” said the President.
Congratulating the people of the state, Kovind said this was a year of delight as India was celebrating the 75th anniversary of Independence, while Himachal Pradesh was commemorating the golden jubilee of its statehood.
Democratic consciousness of people
Appreciating the democratic traditions set by the Himachal assembly, the President said the address of the leader of opposition was a perfect example of the mature democratic setup of the Vidhan Sabha.
He remembered the efforts made by leaders, including former chief minister Yashwant Singh Parmar and Pandit Padam Dev, in the integration of hill states.
“It’s due to democratic consciousness of people of this state that the credit of being the first voter of independent India goes to Himachal’s Shyam Saran Negi hails from here,” he said. 101-year-old Ram Sharan Negi of Kinnaur is the first voter of independent India and is now the brand ambassador of the Election Commission.
Hill state a hydel powerhouse
The President said Himachal had been ranked second in Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2020-21.
Lauding the contribution of Himachal in defence forces, the President paid tributes to valiant soldiers, including Param Vir Chakra awardees Som Nath Sharma, Captain Vikram Batra and Rifleman Subedar Sanjay Kumar and Kargil martyr Saurabh Kalia.
He appreciated Himachal for its efforts for the conservation of the environment.
“Today, Himachal has become a model hill state,” he said, adding it generates one-fourth of the country’s total 45,000MW hydel generation capacity and is a power surplus state.
He said the total road length has gone up to 37,808km as compared to 7,370km in 1971.
Call for setting up Himachal Regiment
Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri said the state has imposed a ban on forest felling but has not been compensated yet.
He urged the President for setting up a Himachal Regiment in the Indian Army in view the contribution of the state in defence forces.
“Being a small state, we also lack in railway and air connectivity. Himachal’s apple economy is worth ₹5000 crore but the apple growers are not getting remunerable prices for their produce,” said Aghnihotri. He demanded to stop the import of apple or hike the import tax so that farmers of Himachal get a fair price for their crop.
In his address, Himachal governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said the Vidhan Sabha is a temple of democracy as MLAs raise issues concerning the public.
