Odisha to host two-day National Conference on Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes
Bhubaneswar, Aug 27 (UNI) Odisha will host a two-day National Conference of Chairpersons of Committees on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on August 29–30 here.
Over 120 delegates from state and union territory legislatures are expected to participate.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the Conference and Exhibition on August 29 and release a souvenir to mark the occasion.
The inaugural session will also be addressed by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi; Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram; Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh; and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste.
Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy will deliver the welcome address. Ministers from the Government of Odisha and Members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly will also attend the inaugural event.
The Conference, themed “Role of Parliamentary and Legislature Committees in Welfare, Development and Empowerment of SCs and STs,” will focus on strengthening constitutional safeguards, enhancing socio-economic development, and sharing best practices for empowering Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
It will emphasise the critical role of Parliamentary and State Legislature Committees in ensuring accountability in implementing welfare policies, with the vision of achieving an inclusive Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The valedictory session on August 30 will be addressed by Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Parliamentary Committee Chairperson Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste, Odisha Speaker Surama Padhy, and Odisha Deputy Chief Ministers K. V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will also speak on the occasion.
This is the first time the National Conference is being organised outside New Delhi.
The inaugural conference was held in 1976, followed by subsequent editions in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2001, each contributing to discussions on welfare and constitutional safeguards for SCs and STs.
