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11th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region

12 Sep 2025 GS 2 Polity
11th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Click to view full image

Context: Speaking at the inaugural function of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Conference in Bengaluru.

The Agenda Topic of this Conference is “Debates & Discussions in the Houses of Legislature: building people’s trust, meeting people’s aspirations.”

Key Concern: Declining quality of debates in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State legislatures.


Observation:

  • Lack of meaningful discussions on laws and policies.

  • Frequent disruptions due to petty political reasons lowering dignity of legislatures.

Appeal to Lawmakers:

  • Debates should be of high quality for effective law-making.

  • Members must rise above party lines on issues of national interest.

  • Legislatures should meet the aspirations of people through constructive dialogue.

About Commonwealth Parliamentary Association:

The CPA was founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911, with its first branches being Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the latter branch administering the Association as a whole. In 1948 the Association changed its name to the current Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and invited all branches to participate in the organisation's administration.

In 1989, Queen Elizabeth II became the patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, although she had been involved with the Association since her Coronation in 1953. In 2024, King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth became the patron of the CPA.

The Association's supreme authority is the General Assembly, constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The business and activities of the CPA are managed by an Executive Committee, which reports to the General Assembly. The CPA's funds are derived from membership fees paid by its branches, as well as from two trust funds and benefactors.

CPA India Region : 

The CPA India Region comprises of a total of 31 Legislatures, from Assam in the East to the Gujarat in the West. After the Africa Region, India has the largest number of member Branches of the CPA. 

The Executive Committee of the CPA India Region consists of the CPA India Regional Chairperson and six Members. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, India Union, Hon. Om Birla is its current Regional Chairperson.

Administratively, the CPA India Region is divided into 9 zones, which are:

  • Zone 1: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand (2 Branches)
  • Zone 2: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab (5 Branches)
  • Zone 3: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura (8 Branches)
  • Zone 4: Odisha, West Bengal (2 Branches)
  • Zone 5:  Bihar, Jharkhand (2 Branches)
  • Zone 6: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan (3 Branches)
  • Zone 7: Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra (3 Branches)
  • Zone 8: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana (3 Branches)
  • Zone 9: Kerala, Puducherry (UT), Tamil Nadu (3 Branches)

The CPA India Region has three Regional Representatives on the CPA International Executive Committee. 

The CPA India Regional Chairperson is Shri Om Birla, MP, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Parliament of India

The CPA India Regional Secretariat is based within the Lok Sabha at the Parliament of India.



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