SAARC Parliamentarians' role vital for strengthening ties: Atwal

COLOMBO, Mar 29 (UNI) Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charnjit Singh Atwal today said widespread poverty was the most formidable development challenge before the SAARC countries and called upon the parliamentarians to work unitedly to overcome this malady.

Addressing the opening session of the Fourth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians here, Mr Atwal said the social charter adopted by the SAARC countries was an important landmark in the history of the regional cooperation. It lays out a roadmap for regional cooperation in areas like poverty alleviation, health, education, women's empowerment, child development and youth mobilisation.

"As elected representatives of the people, parliamentarians must support and supplement the efforts being made by their respective government," he said.

The parliamentarians could ensure that the executive remained responsive and accountable to the people in the struggle against poverty, he added.

He said SAARC recognised the vital role the Civil Society could play in generating awareness among the masses and the policy makers, and thus had accorded Body status to Associations of architects, journalists, chartered accounts, doctors, teachers and other professional associations.

Speaking on the public duty and private interests of legislators, he said the member-countries must give precedence to the public good and outlined some of the mechanisms employed by the Indian Parliament to ensure that public good prevailed over private interests.

Highlighting the importance of regular interaction among SAARC parliamentarians, Mr Atwal said regular interaction among MPs and exchange of best parliamentary practices would enhance the accountability of parliaments of the region.

UNI KAS KD HT2008