Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the two-day annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Zone-2, which commenced on Monday at Tapovan in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
The conference saw the participation of Speakers, Deputy Speakers, Chief Whips, and Deputy Chief Whips from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir — all part of Zone-2. Additionally, the Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies of Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana attended as special guests.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while welcoming the dignitaries and congratulating Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for organizing the event, said that the conference was a significant initiative toward strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing legislative processes, fostering democratic dialogue, and promoting regional cooperation.
The Chief Minister noted that, for the first time in Himachal Pradesh’s history, an attempt had been made to overthrow a democratically elected government. However, the Speaker took a lawful stance and disqualified the concerned MLAs.
He stressed the importance of the Anti-Defection Law in safeguarding democracy and said, “The State Vidhan Sabha has passed a Bill to stop the pensions of disqualified legislators, which is currently awaiting the Governor’s approval.”
Sukhu also emphasized Himachal Pradesh’s role as a model for other states, particularly in digital governance. He highlighted that in 2014, the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first completely paperless Assembly in the country, with all proceedings conducted digitally.
Raising several issues of national significance, the Chief Minister advocated for holding by-elections only once a year under the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework and urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to take up the matter at an appropriate forum.
He further called for a separate policy for hill states, citing their difficult terrain. “The nation cannot prosper if the states do not progress. Himachal has suffered due to the implementation of GST, and hence, a separate policy should be formulated for hill states,” he said.
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ (systemic transformation) and good governance, Sukhu highlighted the success of the ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’ initiative, through which ministers have visited over 1,000 panchayats to engage directly with citizens and resolve local issues.
He also pointed to the state’s progress in education and healthcare. “Himachal Pradesh secured 5th position in the NAS Survey 2025, a significant leap from 21st in 2021, demonstrating our commitment to quality education,” he said. He also lauded the introduction of robotic surgery in the state as a major milestone in modernizing healthcare services.
Discussing law enforcement, Sukhu said the state is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking. He highlighted the passage of the Himachal Pradesh Organized Crime (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, which includes provisions for the death penalty, life imprisonment, heavy fines, and property confiscation.
On welfare and agriculture, the Chief Minister shared that over 1.36 lakh government employees have been brought under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and nearly three lakh women are receiving ₹1,500 monthly under the ‘Indira Gandhi Pyari Bahna Samman Nidhi Yojana’. He also announced the introduction of Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for wheat, maize, and raw turmeric.
He further added, “To promote border tourism, the government has opened the Shipki-La Pass, situated at an altitude of 3,930 meters along the India-China border, for tourism activities. This is expected to significantly boost tourism in the tribal areas of Kinnaur district.”
Speaker of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, extended a warm welcome to all delegates and expressed pride in hosting the CPA Zone-2 conference for the first time in Dharamshala.
He noted that for the past two decades, the Winter Session of the Himachal Assembly has been conducted in Dharamshala and that this conference marks a new beginning for many such events in the region.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan also emphasized the need for collective efforts to strengthen democracy and expressed concern over the challenges posed by defection among legislators.
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Dr Harivansh Narayan Singh, also addressed the gathering.