New Delhi, 06 October (H.S.): An Indian parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh participated in various meetings and programmes on the first day of the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, and held bilateral discussions with representatives from several countries on issues of mutual interest.

According to a statement issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday, members of the Indian delegation participated in meetings of various IPU committees and groups on Monday, the first day of the Assembly.

Lok Sabha member Dr Sanjay Jaiswal participated in a session of the IPU’s Committee on Health. Harivansh and other members of the delegation also attended a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Geopolitical Group. Lok Sabha member and member of the IPU Executive Committee Aparajita Sarangi briefed members of the group on the recent activities and initiatives of the Executive Committee.

During a session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, Lok Sabha member Kamaljeet Sehrawat participated in a discussion on “Inclusive Social Development for All: Parliamentary Strategies to Promote the Rights and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities” and presented India’s perspective. Lok Sabha member Bijuli Kalita Medhi participated in the second session on the theme of “Women’s Leadership”.

Rajya Sabha member Dr Sasmit Patra participated in a meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, while Lok Sabha member Lata Wankhede attended a board meeting of the IPU High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism.

The Indian delegation also held bilateral meetings with Milton Dick, Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, and Mussa Azzan Zungu, Speaker of the Parliament of Tanzania. The meetings covered issues of mutual interest.

The Parliament of Tanzania organised a formal ceremony to inaugurate the 153rd IPU Assembly. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan addressed the ceremony and formally declared the 153rd Assembly open.

Harivansh, along with Aparajita Sarangi, Anurag Singh Thakur, N.K. Premachandran and Dr Sasmit Patra, attended the inaugural ceremony. They also interacted with Tanzania’s Foreign Minister and other ministers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar