Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 10 (HBTV): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday highlighted the strength of India's democracy, emphasizing that its foundations are deeply ingrained in the hearts of the Indian people.

'India is also the largest democracy in the world but also the most ancient. Democracy is rooted in our hearts, and there can be no better example of democracy. That is the tradition of India, which has never imposed its point of view on anyone,' Adityanath said.

The chief minister was addressing a conference of women members of the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly in Kanpur.

'I can say that countries in the world, where they call themselves progressive, have women represented in their legislatures. In the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the representation of women is 14 to 15 per cent, and it is a little over 10 per cent in Uttarakhand. This will increase in the upcoming times,' he added.

Adityanath also noted that Uttar Pradesh's assembly now operates entirely in a paperless mode.

'Today, all sisters have gathered here in Kanpur. The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in the last two and a half to three years, has become known for its innovation and new experiments. It is the first legislative assembly in the country to successfully implement e-legislation,' he said.

'A paperless assembly is possible even in a parliamentary democracy. The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the largest in the country, has achieved this milestone,' he added.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, Adityanath stated that Uttar Pradesh is now one of the leading states in the country, a transformation achieved over the last seven to eight years.

Speaking at the 28th National Youth Festival in Lucknow, he remarked that, merely a decade ago, people were hesitant to admit they were from Uttar Pradesh due to the lack of security and development.

'If you remember Uttar Pradesh from a decade ago, people were hesitant to tell others they belonged to this state. There was no security, riots were frequent, and anarchy and hooliganism prevailed. We lagged behind in development. UP ranked first in population but was backward in every sector. However, in the past seven to eight years, UP has risen to the ranks among the leading states of India,' Adityanath said.

(ANI)