Contribution of Padma awardees will help country reach new heights, says LS Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Wednesday that the public representatives and Padma awardees work for the betterment of society, especially the marginalised sections, and sharing of experiences by those honoured with these awards will help the parliamentarians in discharging their duties more efficiently.

The Speaker, who inaugurated three- day dialogue programme 'Presentation by Padma Awardees for the benefit of Members of Parliament' in Parliament House Complex, said that contribution of the Padma awardees to various fields will help the country to reach new heights in the next 25 years as efforts are being made for accelerated development.

He said both people's representatives and the eminent personalities who have been decorated with Padma awards work "in the same direction of uplifting the deprived and the marginalized sections of society and to bring positive changes in people's lives".

"Therefore, sharing of experiences by Padma awardees will immensely help the parliamentarians in discharging their duties more efficiently," the Speaker said.

Referring to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Birla said that the country has witnessed growth, prosperity, peace and tranquillity during recent years and has achieved many milestones in the fields of economy, education, health, science and technology.

The Speaker said that as India is charting its path for the next 25 years, the "contributions of the Padma awardees in various fields will help the country to reach new heights".

Emphasizing the need for sharing best practices among democratic institutions and people's representatives, the Speaker called for regular interaction among people's representatives and domain experts so that their knowledge is enriched further and legislatures becomes a more powerful forum for ensuring accountability of the executive.

According to an official release, the Speaker felicitated the Padwa awardees on the occasion and released a booklet "Sarvasrestha Pahal".

Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh delivered the welcome address.

The programme has been organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), Lok Sabha Secretariat.

( With inputs from ANI )