Bhubaneswar, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy is part of the Indian Parliamentary delegation for the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) scheduled in Bridgetown, Barbados, from October 5 to 12.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is leading the delegation, which also includes Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, MPs, Speakers, Deputy Speakers, and secretaries from 22 states, said Padhy, who will leave the state later in the day.
The theme of the 68th CPC is “The Commonwealth: A Global Partner.”
India will showcase its inclusive governance model, balancing tradition and technology while engaging in global policymaking in this largest annual gathering of Commonwealth Parliamentarians. Speaker Birla will also address the General Assembly, stressing India’s democratic values and its contribution to parliamentary cooperation.
Padhy further stated that she would also attend the 9th Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference, scheduled to be held from 7 to 8 October on the sidelines of the CPC. She would address various sessions, including a workshop on Good Practices and Strategies to Realising Gender-Sensitive Parliaments across the Commonwealth at the CPC that comprises 56 member countries.
After attending the conference, Padhy will leave for London on October 11 for a study tour from October 12 to 14 during which she will also engage with the Odia diaspora in London. “I would like to visit the British Museum where the bamboo stick used by freedom fighters Raghunath Mohanty and Dibakar Parida to kill British officer Major Bazalgette is exhibited,” said the Speaker, who represents Ranpur constituency.
On October 14, she will travel to Zurich, Switzerland, and participate in some programmes organised by the Indian High Commission. She will also have an interaction with the Odia diaspora there.
The Speaker will be in Paris from October 16 to 18 before returning to Odisha on October 19.