LS Speaker to interact with Dalai Lama during CPA conference in Dharamsala

New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will interact with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, during his visit to Dharamsala to inaugurate a zonal conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) on Monday.

The theme of the Conference is 'Good Governance in the Digital Era: Managing Resources, Defending Democracy, and Embracing Innovation'.

The Zone II of the CPA comprises the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab, and the Union Territories of Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

The two-day conference will feature a series of plenary sessions and discussions on significant legislative and constitutional issues.

A spiritual highlight of the event will be a special interaction with the Dalai Lama, bringing a moment of peace and reflection to the proceedings, an official statement said.

The delegates will also deliberate on the role of legislatures in managing the state resources vis-a-vis development of the state, provisions as to disqualification on grounds of defection under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, and the usage of Artificial Intelligence in legislatures.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and other dignitaries will be present at the Inaugural Session.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla will address the valedictory session of the conference on Tuesday.

The conference aims to serve as a platform for strengthening democratic institutions, sharing best practices, and exploring innovative approaches to governance and legislative functioning in the contemporary era.

The CPA brings together parliamentarians across the Commonwealth group of nations to strengthen parliamentary democracy.

The CPA has nine regions globally -- Africa, Asia, Australia, British Islands and Mediterranean, Canada, Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic, India, Pacific, and South-East Asia.

Within the CPA India Region, there are nine zones, each covering a specific geographic area. PTI SKU RHL