Sikkim Assembly delegation joins CPA India conference in Bengaluru

A delegation of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly (CPA Sikkim Branch) led by Speaker Mingma Norbu Sherpa and Deputy Speaker Raj Kumari Thapa attended the inaugural ceremony of the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference at the Karnataka Vidhan Soudha, Bengaluru on Thursday. The delegation also included Assembly Secretary Lalit Kumar Gurung and senior officials.

Prior to the inauguration, Speaker Sherpa took part in the Executive Committee meeting of the CPA India Region. The conference was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is also Chairperson of CPA India Region. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Shivalingappa also addressed the ceremony. Karnataka Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader delivered the welcome address.

Presiding officers, secretaries and senior officials from state and Union Territory legislatures were present. A cultural programme and patriotic light-and-sound show marked the inaugural event.

Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Sikkim, who attended the programme in traditional attire, were felicitated by the host branch. Sherpa, along with his counterparts from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, was adjudged among the best attired and felicitated by Lok Sabha Speaker Birla.

The three-day conference (Sept 11–13) is being held on the theme “Debates and Discussions in the Houses of Legislature: Building People’s Trust, Meeting People’s Aspirations.” Sherpa has also been nominated as a member of the Panel of Chairmen for the Plenary Session.