Chandigarh, Dec 19 (IANS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday informed the legislative Assembly that the MLAs, being elected representatives, could gather information about development projects in their area from any officer.

However, the MLAs do not have executive powers, so they cannot officially summon meetings of officers.

The Chief Minister said this while responding to a question raised by Congress member B.B. Batra during Zero Hour of the ongoing Winter Session regarding a letter issued on August 25 by the Chief Secretary’s office.

Responding to another question on unemployment in the state, the Chief Minister said that according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey report, the unemployment rate in the state during July-September 2023 was 5.2 per cent, against the national figures of 6.6 per cent.

He said during this period, the unemployment rate in Himachal Pradesh was 14.5 per cent, 8.8 per cent in Punjab, while in Rajasthan it was 12 per cent.

Khattar said it is a matter of happiness that his government has been successful in reducing the state’s unemployment rate.