Speaker to lead delegation at Commonwealth meet in Nigeria

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is leading the Indian delegation to the week long 52nd Common Wealth Conference, commencing in the Nigerian city of Abuja where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be formally nominated as the Vice-Patron of the next Commonwealth Parliamentary meet in 2007.

Mr Chatterjee will be elected as President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for the period. He has been attending the CPA Executive Committee meeting.

The members of the delegation include Mr Harin Pathak, Mrs Pratibha Singh, Mrs C S Sujatha from Lok Sabha and Mr S S Ahluwalia and Mr Nand Kishore Yadav from Rajya Sabha besides Speakers and Presiding Officers of State Assemblies and Legislative Councils. Mrs Sujatha will attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Steering Committee meeting as alternate member from India region.

The Speakder will be the moderator of the topic "The role of Parliamentarians in promoting good governance through increased fiscal transparency". Mr Ahluwalia will be the discussion leader on "Strategies in the care and support of HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children: the role of Parliamentarians", an official release said. UNI MCN VD BST1931