Toronto / New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, who is leading a Parliamentary Delegation to the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at Halifax, Canada, met Parliamentary Delegation from Australia led by President of Senate of Australia H.E. Hon Sue Lines on the sidelines of the Conference, today.
On this occasion, Shri Birla mentioned about the role of youth in nation building and stressed that the youth of India and Australia should interact with each other regularly for sharing of knowledge and experiences which will give a boost to development in both the countries. Shri Birla also urged for promoting people-to-people contact between the two countries for further strengthening bilateral relations.
During the interaction, Shri Birla was happy to note that Indians in Australia are celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava in a large scale which reflects their commitment to their motherland.
Mentioning about India- Australia Friendship Group, Shri Birla said that it was a right decision in the right direction to strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. He also said that legislators of India and Australia should regularly interact among themselves, exchange best practices and implementation modules which will make parliamentary democracy stronger. Referring to Parliamentary Standing Committees, Shri Birla said that these Committees are effective mechanisms for ensuring accountability of the Executive. Therefore, for strengthening the legislature, the committee system should be strengthened, said Shri Birla. He also invited legislators and officials from Australian Parliament for training in PRIDE.
Mentioning about sports ties between the two countries, Shri Birla said that Cricket is a passion in both India and Australia. Cricket teams of both the countries should regularly meet which will improve people-to-people contact between the two countries.
Later, Shri Birla participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and interacted with Presiding Officers and Parliamentarians of other Commonwealth countries. He reiterated India’s commitment to strengthen parliamentary democracy and to make legislatures inclusive.
Shri Birla also took a meeting of the Presiding Officers and Parliamentarians of Indian Delegation and urged them to put forth India’s point of view during the deliberations and to contribute positively to make Conference successful.
During the ongoing Conference, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Shri Anurag Sharma has been nominated as CPA Treasurer by the CPA Executive Committee by overwhelming majority.
Today, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Birla will participate as a panelist in the Workshop titled “A People’s Parliament: Accessibility through Innovation”.
