Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the ninth India Region Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Udaipur.
Rajasthan has got the opportunity to host this conference for the first time.
The theme of the two-day conference is 'Strengthening Democracy and Good Governance in the Digital Age'.
A total of two sessions in the conference.
In the first session, topics like digital empowerment, improving the skills of public representatives in the direction of good governance will be discussed.
The second session will focus on the role of public representatives in strengthening the country through democratic institutions.
About Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
- The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is one of the oldest established organizations in the Commonwealth.
- Founded in 1911, it is a membership association which brings together Members, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, who are united by community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, and by the pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy.
- The Association is made up of over 180 Legislatures (or Branches) divided up between nine geographic regions of the Commonwealth. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice.
About CPA India Region
- The CPA India Region comprises a total of 31 Legislatures, from Assam in the East to Gujarat in the West. After the Africa Region, India has the largest number of member Branches of the CPA.
- The Executive Committee of the CPA India Region consists of the CPA India Regional Chairperson and six Members.
- The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, India Union, Hon. Om Birla is its current Regional Chairperson.
- Administratively, the CPA India Region is divided into 4 zones, which are:
- Zone –1: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh Uttaranchal, West Bengal (8 Branches)
- Zone –2: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry (UT), Tamil Nadu, Telangana (8 Branches)
- Zone- 3: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura (8 Branches)
- Zone- 4: Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan (7 Branches)
- The CPA India Regional Secretariat is based within the Lok Sabha at the Parliament of India.
- The current CPA India Regional Secretary is: Mr Utpal Kumar Singh