Shimla, Nov 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday sought the Centre"s approval for establishing a National e-Vidhan Academy at the second complex of the state assembly in Dharamshala. Addressing the inaugural session of All India Presiding Officers" Conference in Shimla, Thakur said optimum utilisation of the Tapovan premises of Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala will be ensured if approval for establishing the 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 100 years ago in 1921. Elaborating on the demand, Chief Minister Thakur said only the winter session of the state assembly is currently held for about five-six days a year at the second complex of the assembly in Dharamshala. Its optimum utilisation will be ensured if the National e-Vidhan Academy is established there, he added. Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh assembly Mukesh Agnihotri also urged the Prime Minister to grant permission to set up the National e-Vidhan Academy. Chief Minister Thakur said the state assembly has formulated several pro-public laws and policies since its establishment. Himachal Pradesh"s economy was very weak at the time of its creation but now the hill state is rapidly growing, he said, adding that per capita income has increased from Rs 240 at the time to over Rs 1.95 lakh in 2020-21. Thakur said the state has already achieved the target of administering second dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 75 per cent of its eligible population. The 100 per cent target of administering the second dose of vaccines will also be soon achieved, he added. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Leader of Opposition Agnihotri said, "The legislature is not a platform to hide information but now it is seen that information through the Right to Information Act (RTI) is received earlier and it gets delayed in assemblies which is an issue of concern." A journalist-turned-politician, Agnihotri further said, "There was a time when presiding officers did not go in the meetings of the parties and did not campaign during elections but this tradition is being broken in states which is contrary to our high parliamentary decorum and traditions." It is true that there is no such law stopping them from taking part but our parliamentary traditions are there and both the ruling and opposition parties will have to think about it together, he added. Agnihotri further said, "It is seen that the anti-defection law came into force but different types of concepts are generated regarding that. (Such) Matters are heard in courts and Indian democracy stands in the dock." He sought the Prime Minister"s views on the pending issue of whether question hour should be held in the state assemblies or not. State Assembly Speaker Vipin Parmar said the first such conference was held in Shimla itself back 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 HDA