Patna January 20, 2025: The 85th All India Presiding officers conference was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Patna on Monday.
It has marked a significant event in India’s parliamentary history.
The conference begins together the presiding officers of 56 legislatures across the country, and aims to strengthen parliamentary practices and foster collaboration between legislative bodies.
The conference is being held in the central hall of the extended building of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Bihar is hosting this prestigious conference after 43 years, with the previous occurrence in 1982. This is the third time Bihar has hosted the event with earlier conferences in 1964 and 1982.
Purpose and importance of presiding officers conference:
The constitution grants parliament and state legislatures the authority to create their own procedural rules. While these rules are broadly similar, differences exist between states and parliament.
This conference provides a platform for legislative bodies to share their experiences, study and learn from each other’s procedures and harmonize practice where feasible.
The historical context of the presiding officers conference:
The first presiding officers’ conference was held in Shimla in 1921, marking this event over a century old.
The conference in Bihar was held on January 6-7, 1964, under the leadership of Laxmi Narayan Sudhanshu, then speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
The Conference consists of two sessions with a preliminary session open to press members for group photography an d the second session is completely reserved for presiding officers.
Also Read: The Winter Session of the Bihar assembly commences on November 25.
EOM.