ANNEXURE-E INDIAN PARLIAMENTARY GROUP NEWSLETTER OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 2013 DETAILS OF FOREIGN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS VISITING INDIA 1. Myanmar: A 25-member Parliamentary Delegation led by His Excellency U Khin Aung Myint, Speaker of Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) of the Parliament of Myanmar visited India from 2 to 6 December, 2013. On Thursday, 5 December, 2013 the delegation called on Hon‟ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee; Hon‟ble Vice President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari and later in the evening called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar. Hon‟ble Speaker Lok Sabha hosted a cultural programme in honour of the delegation which was followed by a dinner. Besides Delhi, the delegation also visited Bodhgaya, Bihar. 2. Armenia: An 18-member Parliamentary Delegation led by His Excellency Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia visited India from 4 to 8 December, 2013. On Thursday, 5 December, 2013 the delegation called on Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon‟ble President of India; met Shri Ananth Kumar, Chairman and other Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs. On Friday, 6 December, 2013 the delegation met Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha and later in the evening the delegation called on Smt. Meira Kumar, Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha which was followed by dinner hosted by her in honour of the delegation. Besides Delhi, the delegation also visited Agra. INDIAN PARLIAMENTARY GROUP NEWSLETTER 1 July to 30 September, 2013 CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA CPA Centennial Year 2011 Essay Competition: As part of the celebrations to mark the Centennial year of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the India Branch of the CPA and the Indian Parliamentary Group organized an Essay Competition on “Parliamentary Democracy: Gateway to Good Governance” in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and State Boards for students studying in classes IX to XII across the country. The Award Function for the Essay Competition was held on 17 July 2013. The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar gave away cash awards, certificates and mementos to the winners. The function was attended, among others, by Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries. Multi-country Seminar on Parliaments and Accountability for Women’s and Children’ Health held in Dhaka (Bangladesh) on 30 & 31 July, 2013: The Multi-Country Seminar on Parliaments and Accountability for Women‟s and Children‟s Health was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 30 and 31 July 2013. An Indian parliamentary Delegation consisting of Smt. Bijoya Chakravarty, MP (Lok Sabha); Smt. Rajani Patil, MP (Rajya Sabha); and Smt. Susmita Bauri, MP (Lok Sabha) attended the Seminar. Smt. Kalpana Sharma, Director, Lok Sabha Secretariat was the Secretary to the Delegation. IPG Executive Committee Meeting: Executive Committee Meeting of the Indian Parliamentary Group was held on 24 August, 2013 under the Presidentship of Smt. Meira Kumar, Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha . 34th General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA): The 34th General Assembly of ASEAN Inter- Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) was held at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam from 18 to 23 September 2013. A 2-Member Indian Parliamentary Delegation, led by Shri Viswanathan Perumal, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha attended the 34th General Assembly of AIPA as „Observer‟. Shri V.R. Ramesh, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat was the Secretary to the delegation. EXCHANGE OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS Foreign Parliamentary Delegations Visiting India Seychelles: A 04-Member Parliamentary Delegation led by H.E. Mr. Andre Pool, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles visited India from 04 to 09 August 2013. On 07 August 2013 the delegation met Shri Yashwant Sinha, Chairman, Standing Committee on Finance; Shri Ananth Kumar, Chairman and other Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Shri Murli Manohar Joshi, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee. Later in the evening a dinner was hosted by Hon‟ble Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Kariya Munda in honour of the delegation. On 08 August 2013 the delegation called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar. Papua New Guinea: A 09-member Parliamentary Delegation led by HE Mr. Theodore Zurenuoc, Speaker of the Parliament of Papua New Guinea visited India from 26 to 31 August 2013. On 27 August 2013 the Delegation called on the Hon‟ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee; met Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs and Shri Ananth Kumar, Chairman and other Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. On the same day the delegation called on Hon‟ble speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar. Visit of Foreign Dignitaries to Parliament House Republic of Korea: A 6-member Parliamentary Delegation led by Mr. Jeong Kab-Yoon, Member of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and President of Korea-India Parliamentary Friendship Group called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha on 29 July 2013. The Delegation also met Shri H.D. Deve Gowda, President of India-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group on the same day. Malaysia: Hon. Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Pandikar Amin Mulia, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha on 30 July 2013. Bhutan: A 16-member Delegation led by H.E. (Dr.) Sonam Kinga, Hon‟ble Chairperson, National Council of Bhutan called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha on 30 July 2013. Liberia: Hon‟ble speaker, Lok sabha called on H.E. Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia on 11 September 2013 in New Delhi . United Kingdom: Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice Chancellor, Cambridge University, United Kingdom (UK) called on Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha on 13 September 2013. INDIAN PARLIAMENTARY GROUP NEWSLETTER 1 April to 30 June, 2013 CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA 28th Session of the Steering Committee of Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, Brussels, Belgium: The 28th Session of the Steering Committee of Parliamentary Conference on the WTO was held in Brussels, Belgium on 28 and 29 May 2013. Shri P.C. Chacko, MP, Lok Sabha participated in the Session. During the Session, the following agenda items inter-alia came up for discussion: (i) Continuation of the policy dialogue with members of the high-level panel designated by the WTO Director-General to define the future of trade; (ii) Preparations for the next session of the Parliamentary Conference on The WTO; and (iii) Organization of a possible additional event during the Ministerial Conference in Bali. 24th Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar, Singapore: The 24th Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar on the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy” was held in Singapore from 27 May to 1 June 2013. The Seminar was attended by delegates from across all nine CPA regions. Dr. (Smt.) Jhansi Lakshmi Botcha, MP, Lok Sabha participated in the Seminar from CPA India Union Branch. Delegates from State CPA Branches namely Shri Kuldip Sharma, Speaker, Haryana Vidhan Sabha; Shri Rakesh Jashvantlal Shah, MLA, Gujarat Vidhan Sabha; Shri Ambika Chaudhary, MLC, Minister, Uttar Pradesh; and Shri Govind Singh, MLA, Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha also participated in the Seminar. The Seminar had a total of 15 Sessions. Dr. Botcha, MP participated in a number of Sessions. She was a lead Speaker on the Session 12 - “Challenges facing Women in Politics and Parliament”. 10th CPA Canadian Parliamentary Seminar, Ottawa: The Canada CPA Branch co-hosted the 10th CPA Canadian Parliamentary Seminar with CPA Secretariat in Ottawa from 2-8 June, 2013. The theme of the Seminar was “Strengthening Democracy and the role of Parliamentarians: Challenges and Solutions”. Shri J. M. Haroon Rasheed, MP, Lok Sabha attended the Seminar from CPA India Union branch. 3rd Westminster Workshop on the PAC, London: The UK CPA Branch had organized the 3rd Westminster Workshop on the Public Accounts Committee from 24 to 27 June, 2013 in London. Shri Bhartruhari Mehtab, MP, Lok Sabha and Shri A. K. Singh, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat participated in the Workshop. There were 22 Sessions in the Workshop. Shri Mehtab made a presentation on the Session 17 of the Workshop entitled „Interpreting and Prioritizing Financial and Audit Information‟. Shri A. K. Singh participated as a panel member in Session 7 entitled “Forward Planning Committee Work” sharing views and experiences on the working of PAC in India. EXCHANGE OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS Foreign Parliamentary Delegations Visiting India Peru: An 8-Member Parliamentary Delegation led by H.E. Mrs. Lourdes Alcorta Suero, MP, President of the Peru-India Parliamentary Friendship League visited India from 20 to 24 April 2013. On 22 April 2013, the delegation called on Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, Shri Kamal Nath. The delegation also met the President and the Members of India-Peru Parliamentary Friendship Group on the same day. On 23 April 2013, the delegation called on the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar and the Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri E. Ahmed. Maldives: A 9–Member Parliamentary Delegation led by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, Speaker of the Peoples‟ Majlis (Parliament) of Maldives visited India from 4 to 8 May, 2013. On 6 May 2013 the delegation called on Minister of External Affairs, Shri Salman Khurshid and also met Foreign Secretary, Shri Ranjan Mathai. The Delegation also called on the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar on the same day. On 7 May 2013 the delegation met the President and other Members of the India-Maldives Parliament Friendship Group. The delegation also called on Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, Shri Kamal Nath and also met National Security Adviser, Shri Shivshankar Menon. Indian Parliamentary Delegations Visiting Abroad Belarus: A 13-Member Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt.