VISAKHAPATNAM: In view of the increasing disruptions in the proceedings of legislative bodies, the 17th All India Whips Conference scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on September 29 and 30, will discuss establishment of inter-party forums in Parliament and state Legislatures to facilitate smooth functioning of the Houses.
While Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the conference, Union minister for Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu will chair it.
The agenda of the conference includes deliberations on ‘Salary, Allowances of MPs and members of state legislatures.
According to sources, the dignitaries would discuss whether or not there is a need to have a permanent mechanism to determine salary and allowances of members of Parliament and legislatures. Reportedly, the meet will also discuss whether the MPLAD Scheme need amendment in the light of the experiences of public representatives in the course of its implementation.
The whips of all political parties in the Parliament and legislatures of all states and Union Territories will attend the conference.
Besides Chandrababu Naidu and Venkaiah Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council chairman M Chakrapani and Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao will address the gathering during the inaugural session.
This is only the second time that the All India Whips’ Conference is being held on Telugu soil since 1952 when the first conference was held at Indore.
The 13th Conference was held in Hyderabad in 2005. The conference is aimed to provide a suitable forum for periodical meetings and exchange of views amongst all the Whips in Parliament and the state legislatures on matters of common concerns and also evolve standards to strengthen the working of institution of Parliamentary democracy.