Lok Sabha Speaker to Inaugurate National Conference on Welfare of SCs & STs in Bhubaneswar

Governor of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha, Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly, Deputy CM of Odisha, and Chairpersons of Committees on Welfare of SCs and STs from Parliament and State Legislatures to attend

Theme: “Role of Parliamentary and Legislative Committees in Welfare, Development and Empowerment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes”

Bhubaneswar, Aug 2025: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla will inaugurate the National Conference of Chairpersons of the Committees on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Parliament and State Legislatures in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 29 August 2025. He will also inaugurate an exhibition and release a souvenir on this occasion, informed Smt. Surama Padhy, Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, at a press conference held today at OLA.

Smt. Padhy shared that the inaugural session will be addressed by Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi; Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram; Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh; and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste. Chairpersons and Members of Committees on Welfare of SCs and STs from Parliament and State/UT Legislatures, along with Ministers and MLAs from Odisha, will also participate.

The Welcome Address will be delivered by Speaker Smt. Surama Padhy, while the Vote of Thanks will be proposed by Deputy Speaker Shri Bhabani Shankar Bhoi.

The two-day Conference (29–30 August 2025) will bring together over 120 delegates. The sessions will focus on strengthening constitutional safeguards, enhancing socio-economic development, and sharing best practices for empowering SCs and STs. The discussions will also emphasize the vital role of Committees in ensuring accountability in implementing welfare measures, aligned with the vision of an inclusive Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The Valedictory Session on 30 August will feature addresses by Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh, Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste, Speaker Smt. Surama Padhy, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha Smt. Pravati Parida, and Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling. Shri Bhaskar Madhei, Chairperson of the Odisha Assembly Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs, will deliver the Vote of Thanks.

The first such Conference was held in 1976 in New Delhi, with subsequent editions in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2001. For the first time, the Conference is being hosted outside Delhi, marking a significant milestone in its history.

Sri Satyabrata Rout, Secretary of OLA, was also present at the press conference.

Bibhuti Nayak
PRO