Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 28 : Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania returned to the state on Wednesday after attending the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum and a meeting of presiding officers in New Delhi.
According to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, Pathania arrived at Kangra's Gaggal Airport at 12.20 pm from New Delhi and proceeded directly to Sihunta, reaching his residence at around 3.30 pm.
Before leaving the national capital, Pathania thanked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for specially inviting him to participate in the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum. He also expressed gratitude to Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta for organising the meeting of presiding officers and extending hospitality to the delegates.
Describing his participation in the BRICS Parliamentary Forum as a unique experience, Pathania said presiding officers and delegations from 12 countries and 10 partner countries had participated in the event.
He said such international parliamentary engagements provide an opportunity to promote greater understanding and convergence of ideas among countries, while also helping them understand one another's cultures and civilisations through goodwill and technology.
Pathania said considerable progress had been made towards developing a common framework for the rules of procedure and conduct of business in legislative bodies across India.
However, he noted that it might not be feasible to adopt identical rules and procedures for all state legislatures, given the differences between smaller and larger legislative assemblies.
He said the deliberations would continue at the next meeting scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in December, to reach a consensus and finalise the draft report at the earliest.