Ex-LS Speakers hold round table discussion to promote PM's mantra

To lay the framework for the multi-partisan National Legislators' Conference (NLC), a round table discussion was held in the national capital on Monday to formulate effective legislative practices and promote the Prime Minister's mantra to "reform, perform and transform".

Former Speakers of Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan, Meira Kumar and Shivraj Patil, who are patrons of NLC, took part in the round table discussion highlighting the importance of NLC, scheduled to be held in Mumbai from 16th to 18th June in 2023.

Former Speakers of Lok Sabha said that the upcoming National Legislators' Conference would strengthen the fabric of democracy and make it a powerful forum for good governance. It would also formulate effective legislative practices and promote the Prime Minister's mantra to "reform, perform and transform".

They further said that NLC is a unique platform to propagate the ideals of democracy at national and international levels, encourage legislators from all across the nation for knowledge sharing and seek innovative solutions incorporating best practices from each state.

NLC is being jointly organised by the legislative bodies, non-governmental institutions and civil society with the active support of the Pune-based MIT School of Government. NLC is also seeking support from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UNESCO. Around 4,000 legislators representing various political parties from across the country are expected to attend NLC.

"It is notable that the round table conference was attended by more than 15 Speakers and Chairpersons of Vidhan Sabhas and Vidhan Parishads including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana, besides former Secretary Generals of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and several senior bureaucrats who shared their expertise towards nation-building and good governance," an official statement said.

"NLC is a democracy carnival aimed at propagating the ethos of India's democracy in the world through leadership transformation, good governance and peace-building. It aims to the creation of a cohesive ecosystem among leaders of all ideologies for the common cause of development, instilling the spirit of nationhood, encouraging clean leadership for enhancing good governance, and creating a model to be reckoned with globally. It will also facilitate peer-to-peer learning aimed at designing innovative development solutions, in addition to developing ethical, spirited and competent public leadership for formulating pro-people policies," the statement added.