Haryana's 60-year journey is glorious but it still faces challenges Hooda

Chandigarh, Nov 2 (PTI) With Haryana completing 60 years of its formation, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said the state's development journey has been glorious, but some challenges still persist.

    Around 80 criminal gangs are active in the state. Haryana has slipped to 14th position in terms of fiscal health. It ranks 15th in terms of borrowings and 11th in Sustainable Development Goals, the Congress leader said.

    He said serious introspection is also necessary on the issue of unemployment.

    "I am not saying this because I am in the opposition. I may be an opposition member, but I have concern for Haryana's interests," he said while addressing a session during the 'Janpratinidhi Sammelan' organised by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Panchkula as part of the 'Samvidhan Pakhwada' programme.

    Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, several state ministers, and sitting and former MLAs from across parties were present at the event.

    On the occasion, Hooda said the Haryana Legislative Assembly has its own glorious history. When Haryana was formed in 1966, the Legislative Assembly had only 54 MLAs, whereas today their number has increased to 90.

    At the time of its formation, the state was backward in terms of economic, industrial and educational development, and its per capita income was only around Rs 540, he said.

    "Over these six decades, Haryana has made remarkable progress in the fields of education and literacy. The state's literacy rate has increased from 20 per cent to approximately 78 per cent. Today, the state has more than 61 universities and colleges. Prestigious institutions such as AIIMS, IIM, NIFT and law schools have also been established. We are proud of this progress made by Haryana," the Leader of Opposition said.

    Hooda highlighted the need to once again fully understand and embrace the importance of the Constitution, because "it is not merely a book in a library but the soul of democracy".

    Public representatives are not limited to MLAs and MPs; Panchs and Sarpanchs are also public representatives, Hooda said.

    He said a public representative must always listen, respond and be accountable. It is the responsibility of all of us to live up to these standards, he said.

    Welcoming Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who attended the conference as the chief guest, Hooda said the roles of the ruling party, the Opposition and the Speaker are extremely important in a democracy.

    The Speaker plays the role of a referee in a democracy, he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)