Meghalaya speaker joins commonwealth parliamentary meet in Delhi

Shillong: Meghalaya legislative assembly speaker Thomas A Sangma participated in the 28th conference of speakers and presiding officers of the commonwealth hosted by the Parliament of India from Jan 14-16.“The conference was also attended by Meghalaya assembly secretary Malthus S Sangma, reflecting Meghalaya’s active engagement in global parliamentary dialogue and efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and modern legislative practices,” a statement issued by the assembly secretariat said.The high-level conference was inaugurated on Thursday at the central hall of Samvidhan Sadan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh.“Chaired by Om Birla, the 28th CSPOC brings together 61 speakers and presiding officers from 42 Commonwealth countries, along with representatives from four semi-autonomous parliaments, underscoring the scale and significance of the event,” the statement read.Deliberations are focusing on contemporary parliamentary challenges, including the evolving roles of presiding officers, technological innovation in legislative functioning, and strategies to enhance citizen engagement with democratic processes.