Shimla, Nov 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday sought the Centre"s approval for establishing National e-Vidhan Academy at HP Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala. Addressing the inaugural session of All India Presiding Officers" Conference in Shimla, Thakur said the optimum utilisation of Tapovan premises of HP Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala will be ensured if approval for establishing National e-Vidhan Academy is granted. A total of 378 dignitaries, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, speakers and deputy speakers of 36 state assemblies and councils, are participating in the conference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also virtually addressed the inaugural session of the conference. The first such conference was held in Shimla hundred years ago in 1921. Elaborating, Thakur said only the winter session of the state assembly is currently held for about five-six days a year at HP Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala. Its optimum utilisation will be ensured if the National e-Vidhan Academy is established there, he added. Thakur also said that the state assembly has formulated several pro-public laws and policies since its establishment. The economy of the state was very weak at its creation but now the hill state is rapidly growing, he said, adding that per capita income of Himachal Pradesh has increased from Rs 240 at the time of its creation to over Rs 1.95 lakh in 2020-21. Thakur said the state has already achieved the target of administering second dose of Covid vaccine to 75 percent of its eligible population. The hundred percent target of administering the second dose of Covid vaccine will also be soon achieved, he added. Earlier speaking on the occasion, Leader of the opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Mukesh Agnihotri said, "Sometimes important information by the state government is provided to the public through RTI much before it is laid in the state assembly. It is required to be checked." State Assembly Speaker Vipin Parmar said the first such conference was held in Shimla itself hundred years ago in 1921 from September 14 to 16. A total of six such conferences had already been held in Shimla so far. Four were held pre-independence in 1921, 1926, 1933, 1939 and two post-independence in 1976 and 1997, he added. PTI DJI SNE SNE