US delegation calls on Haryana Speaker

Chandigarh, Nov 6 (UNI) A US delegation of legislators, which called on Haryana Speaker Raghuvir Singh Kadian here today, appreciated the tremendous development that the state had witnessed and its emergence as a preferred destination for the investors under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The delegation was led by Representative Donna Stone from Delaware, who is also President of the National Conference for State Legislatures (NCSL) in the US.

The other members of the delegation included speaker Melvin Neufeld from Kansas, speaker Terrie Norelli of New Hampshire and Senator Eric Johnson from Georgia.

Dr Raghuvir Singh Kadian apprised the delegates of the tremendous development taking place in Haryana, especially in the areas of industry, agriculture and other thrust areas benefitting all sections of the society.

He said Haryana ranked as the second state in the country with highest per capita income. He also informed them about legislative procedures and discussed various aspects of India's federal system.

Ms Donna Stone said it was for the first time that a NCSL delegation had visited Haryana. She said in 2006, the NCSL had hosted a delegation of 20 state legislators from India and the delegation which she was leading here was a part of that initiative aimed at fostering study exchange between the Parliamentarians in India and Legislators in the US.

She said they were interested in furthering friendship and a vibrant partnership between the US and India. They were also interested in fostering open government, grassroot democracy and they believed that it was crucial to their country to educate their children so that economic development took place and people get quality jobs, she added.

While commenting on commonalities between the US and India, Ms Dona Stone said, ''Common is greater than our differences'' Speaker Melvin Neufeld described this meeting as a very positive experience.

Haryana Parliamentary Affairs and Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said Haryana had emerged as the most preferred destination for investors. Haryana had experienced the most striking change in its investment scenario with the highest per capital investment in the country.

He said that India and the US were on the threshold of bigger world order and Haryana has a key role to play. While describing the meeting as very fruitful, Mr Surjewala said that they agreed to continue to interact with each other.

Parliamentary Secretary Krishna Pandit, who holds the portfolios of Health, Medical Education and Administration of Justice, discussed various issues concerning health and culture with the members of the delegation and apprised them about implementation of various schemes by the state government for the welfare of the people.

Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana and MLAs Shamsher Singh Surjewala, Tejinder Pal Mann, Dinesh Kaushik, Nirpinder Singh and Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretary Sumit Kumar were also present in the meeting.

Dr Kadian presented each of the visiting delegates with a plaque with an illustration of Lord Krishna delivering his message of Gita to Arjuna inscribed on it and a pocket-size Gita translated into English.

UNI