Speaker to attend Commonwealth parliamentary meet

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien will take part in the fifth India region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference.

The conference, which is being held in Goa capital Panaji, will be inaugurated Thursday by Mahajan, who is the chairperson of the executive committee of CPA India region, a statement said Wednesday.

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Goa assembly Speaker Rajendra Arlekar will also address the gathering at the inaugural session.

The delegation from the CPA India will include parliament members Hukumdev Narayan Yadav and Ananga Uday Singh besides Lok Sabha secretary-general Anoop Mishra.

Participants will include presiding officers and secretaries from all 31 state CPA branches across India.

The deliberations at the conference will mainly focus on the overall theme of "strengthening parliamentary democracy".