Ministers and legislators are accountable to people: Guv
RANCHI: Governor Droupadi Murmu said the work of the assembly was to meet the expectations of people who were at the centre in a democracy.
Murmu was delivering the keynote address at the 15th foundation day of the Jharkhand assembly. She said the occasion gives them an opportunity to rejoice and also to introspect.
“The assembly will have to be alive to the problems of people so that relevant policies could be framed. Ministers and legislators need to keep in mind that they represent people and are accountable to them,” Murmu said.
The governor said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had advised legislators to maintain transparency in their dealings. This would attract feedback from the people and appreciation for good work, she said
Murmu said she expected members to have a deeper understanding of legislation so that they could offer constructive advice.
She also advised senior legislators to guide more than 30 first-time legislators, rising above party affiliations. She said every act of legislators was under the scanner in this age of information technology.
She said the opposition has to play a constructive role in a democracy. “I hope both the government and the opposition would be sincere in ensuring development of the state,” she said.
Referring to Pradeep Yadav, who was selected for the best legislator award, the governor said she recalled her own days in Odisha assembly when she was given the Nilkanth award for the best legislator. “People’s expectations rose unexpectedly and meeting them was a challenge,” she said. She hoped the construction of the assembly building would be done soon to enable members to think better and fulfil their responsibilities.
Speaker Dinesh Oraon spoke about the achievements of the assembly. He mentioned the visit of the Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Chief minister Raghubar Das said construction of the assembly building will be completed by 2018. He welcomed healthy criticism and urged members to live up to democratic traditions.
Pradeep Yadav, adjudged the best legislator this year said, “I had been taking up issues concerning dalits, poor, Adivasis, minorities and backward classes. I will continue to be their voice inside and outside the assembly.”
He said it was wrong to say that nothing good happened in Jharkhand. “It was Gram Siksha Yojna of Jharkhand which inspired the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to launch Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. The Mukhyamantri Gram Setu Yojna, bicycle to schools girls and state financial assistance to people suffering from incurable diseases were first of their kind initiatives which many states incorporated in their development schemes,” Yadav said.