Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The national conference of chairpersons of committees on the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) will take place outside of New Delhi for the first time in Bhubaneswar. The Lok Sabha Secretariat organized the two-day meeting, which will start on August 29. The event, which will center on the topic “Role of Parliamentary and Legislature Committees on Welfare, Development, and Empowerment of SCs and STs,” will be inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The event will also include the inauguration of an exhibition and the publication of a commemorative memento.
Since its founding in 1976, there have been six such conferences, with the most recent ones taking place in New Delhi in 1976, 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2001. Historically, the forums have offered a venue for discussion on welfare policies and constitutional protections for underserved groups. Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, and chairperson Faggan Singh Kulaste of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs would all be present during the first session. The welcoming speech will be given by Surama Padhy, the speaker of the Odisha Assembly.
It is anticipated that more than 120 delegates would attend, including Odisha ministers and MLAs, as well as chairpersons and members of SC/ST welfare committees from Parliament, state, and UT legislatures. During the convention, Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati will give a farewell speech on August 30.
