CHANDIGARH: Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harvinder Kalyan on Tuesday urged elected representatives to look beyond regional development and actively foster civic duties, environmental protection and natural farming among citizens to reinforce the democratic framework.Speaking after releasing ‘Who’s Who 2024’, a comprehensive Secretariat publication detailing the profiles, qualifications and election metrics of all 90 MLAs of the 15th Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Kalyan highlighted the evolving role of legislators.“The role of elected representatives is not confined only to the development of their respective constituencies. Strengthening the sense of responsibility among citizens is essential for robust democracy,” Kalyan stated.Reflecting on his participation at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Kalyan noted that India’s legislative practices continue to serve as a global benchmark, backed by strong democratic institutions focused on public welfare.Emphasising emerging challenges, the Speaker called for collective policy action towards environmental conservation. He pressed for accelerated adoption of natural farming and solar energy to ensure sustainable development, advising MLAs to lead awareness campaigns on resource conservation.Addressing his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kalyan clarified that it was above politics and centred on broad guidance for Haryana’s role in the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision, noting the state’s crucial positioning alongside Delhi.In a separate Secretariat event, Kalyan presented financial assistance cheques from State Bank of India to the families of three deceased Vidhan Sabha employees. Under the Secretariat’s MoU with SBI, salary account holders receive Rs 10 lakh for natural death and Rs 1 crore for accidental death.Because the three staff members died of natural causes prior to the July 1, 2026 revision — when natural death assistance stood at Rs 4 lakh — their families were disbursed Rs 4 lakh each.SBI Assistant General Manager Naresh Kumar Mehta, Chief Manager Deepak Bhatt, Rudra Dev Sharma and Branch Manager Himanshu Garg attended the event alongside other officials.
