Bhubaneswar: Odisha is set to host a two-day national conference of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Parliamentary Committee from tomorrow. The event, scheduled for August 29 and 30, marks the first time since 1994 that the state will host a meeting of a Parliamentary Committee.

Thirty members of the Parliamentary Committee on SC and ST Welfare will also attend the sessions.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the conference, which will also see the participation of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Ministers, and other dignitaries. More than 240 delegates from across the country are expected to attend. The theme of the conference is “The Role of Parliamentary Committees in Tribal Development.”

Governor Raghubar Das and state ministers will address the inaugural session. Ahead of the event, the Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly convened a preparatory meeting today.

The two-day conference will be hosted at the Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Hall, where deliberations will focus on constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and measures undertaken by various states for tribal development.

Alongside the discussions, the state will showcase Odisha’s rich tradition of handicrafts, handlooms, culture, and art through an exhibition and cultural programmes. After the inaugural ceremony, delegates will also be taken on visits to the Sun Temple at Konark and the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.