As many as 40 foreign delegates from 12 countries visited the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday. The delegated also exchanged parliamentary experiences with Speaker Surama Padhy and other officials.
Speaker Padhy noted that the delegates engaged in discussions on various topics and shared valuable insights, fostering meaningful international exchange and collaboration to protect democracy worldwide.
The visiting foreigners represented countries including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Somalia, Maldives, Nauru, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Venezuela.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, in an X post, said,”Joined the 37th International Parliamentary Internship Programme 2025 at Lokseva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, in the gracious presence of Hon’ble Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Smt. @suramapadhybjp and Hon’ble MP Shri @SujeetKOfficial.”
Lok Sewa Bhawan is the state secretariat of Odisha.
Mahaling described the event as a wonderful opportunity to learn, share experiences, and strengthen global parliamentary connections, and he briefed the team on the rules and procedures of the Odisha Assembly.
The delegation visited Odisha under a programme organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE).
The Odisha Assembly Speaker informed the delegates that the Odisha Vidhan Sabha observes the best parliamentary practices, highlighting that the current 17th Legislative Assembly has completed 62 session days and is transitioning to a paperless, digitized environment.
Rajya Sabha MP Sujit Kumar also shared details about Indian parliamentary traditions and procedures with the foreign guests.
