PM Modi to address inaugural session of Presiding Officers' Conference tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the 82nd All India Presiding Officers' Conference on Wednesday via video conferencing, his office said.The All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC), the apex body of the Legislatures in India, is celebrating its 100th year in 2021. To commemorate the centennial year of AIPOC, the 82nd edition of the All India Presiding Officers' Conference will be held in Shimla on November 17-18, 2021, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The first conference was also held in Shimla in 1921.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh will be present on the occasion. Birla will preside over the conference."In the meeting, the ways of empowering the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state legislative Assembly and legislative council would be discussed," said Birla on Tuesday.Speaking about the anti-defection law and the role of the presiding officers in it, he said, "It was discussed in the Dehradun session that the authority of the presiding officers should be limited in the anti-defection law.""In such a situation, this issue will be discussed again in this conference and if any changes are required to be made in the law," added Birla.He further said that the rights and responsibilities of the presiding officers will be discussed extensively in this conference.Birla said, "I hope, from the Shimla Conference, that in coming times, we will strengthen the democratic institutions of the country and prepare an action plan for 100 years in the Conference of Presiding Officers. During this conference, we will formulate an action plan to deal with the challenges that lie ahead of us over the course of 100 years".With input from agencies