IEP Chandigarh, February 25
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan participated in the 19th Annual Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Zone-III, hosted by the Sikkim Legislative Assembly at Gangtok, Sikkim. The conference, which deliberated on important issues “Making Parliament and Assembly more accessible to the public/citizen”, “Drug abuse and the way forward” and “Cyber Bullying”, was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Mr. Om Birla. S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, the two-day long conference was fruitful where various social issues and challenges regarding citizen’s welfare were addressed in-depth. He said, the participating dignitaries have expressed their concerns about many social and ethical issues relating to the drug menace during the Inaugural and Plenary Session. Chief Guest Mr. Om Birla expressed satisfaction that the representatives have put forth their valuable suggestions for efficient policy making and its implementation for educating the public to overcome drug-related problems, adding that all participating members of the conference must take the valuable suggestions discussed during the two-day long sessions and should further push to implement them in their respective states. He highlighted the importance of public participation to encourage meaningful input into the decision-making process. Speaker S. Sandhwan said, all the members believed that drug abuse has become one of the crucial social problems globally and that education and awareness is essential in developing resilience against drug menace. He expressed hope that the CPA Zone-III conference would serve as a platform for the policy and law makers to assess a clear roadmap for strengthening good governance and democracy in the country. The conference also highlighted on the need to raise issues, discuss and debate for solutions regularly.
