By Amit Kumar
Cape Town [South Africa], September 15 : An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by Harivansh,  Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, is participating in the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) being held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 12 to 19 September.
The Conference is also being attended by 32 Presiding Officers and 18 Secretaries from State/UT Legislatures of India, who are members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday and held bilateral meetings with  Angela Thokozile Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly; Poobalan Govender, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa; and  Annelie Lotriet, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
The meetings provided an opportunity to exchange views on matters of mutual parliamentary interest and to further strengthen the close and longstanding parliamentary relations between India and South Africa.
Further, Dr. D. Purandeswari, MP, Lok Sabha, attended the meeting of the CPA Executive Committee and effectively put forth India’s views and perspectives on various matters concerning the CPA.
During the Conference, six main workshops will inter alia be held on a range of contemporary issues of relevance to Commonwealth legislatures.
 Harivansh will address the General Assembly of the 69th CPC on the theme, “New Leadership Opportunities for the Commonwealth: Parliamentary Action to Strengthen Democracy and International Law.”
India’s participation in the 69th CPC reflects its continued commitment to strengthening parliamentary democracy, legislative cooperation and inter-parliamentary engagement within the Commonwealth, while further deepening the strong parliamentary ties between India and South Africa.
The Indian delegation will continue its participation in the Conference in the coming days, including in the General Assembly and various workshops addressing issues of contemporary global and parliamentary relevance.
The Indian Parliamentary Delegation comprises C. Sadanandan Master, MP, Rajya Sabha; Dr. D. Purandeswari, MP, Lok Sabha; Vishnu Datt Sharma, MP, Lok Sabha; Sudheer Gupta, MP, Lok Sabha;  Krishna Prasad Tenneti, MP, Lok Sabha;  Rachna Banerjee, MP, Lok Sabha; and P. C. Mody, Secretary General, Rajya Sabha.