Parliamentary Group

It is the regular activity of national parliaments to establish and develop relations among parliaments. although promotion of inter-parliamentary relations hs for many years been a significant part of the work of parliamentarians, recently it has received a new thrust due to the increased inter-dependence of nations in a global environment. It is imperative that parliamentarians will join hands to safeguard democracy and work in synergy to confront the challenges before the world and convert them into opportunities to facilitate peace and prosperity in their countries as well as globally.

Parliamentarians from different parts of the world, therefore, have a forum where they can meet to discuss and find out solutions to their common problems. It is here that some sort of cross-fertilisation of ideas can take place not only between the older and the younger parliaments, but also between parliamentarians working under different parliamentary systems.

Inter-parliamentary relations thus assume great importance today when the whole world is beset with many pressing problems. The problems that are faced by one parliament today may confront another tomorrow.

It is therefore, essential that a link should exist between various parliaments of the world. This link is maintained by India through the exchange of delegations, goodwill missions, correspondence, documents, etc. with foreign parliaments through the machinery of the IPG that acts both as the National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and also as the India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

Composition of the Indian Parliamentary Group

The membership of the IPG is open to all members of the Parliament. Former members of Parliament can also become associate members of the group. But the associate members have limited rights.

They are not entitled to representation at meetings and conferences  of the IPU and CPA. They are also not entitled to the travel concessions provided to members by certain branches of the CPA

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the ex-officio president of the Group.

The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha are the ex-officio vice-president of the Group. The secretary general of the Lok Sabha acts as other ex-officio secretary-general of the Group.

Objectives of the Indian Parliamentary Group

The aims of the IPG are as follows:

1. To promote personal contacts between members of the Parliament of India
2. To study questions of public importance that are likely to come up before the parliament; arrange seminars, discussions and orientation courses and bring out publications for the dissemination of information to the members of the Group.
3. To arrange lectures on political, defence, economic, social and educational problems by members of the parliament.
4. To arrange visits to foreign countries with a few to view to develop contacts with other parliaments of the world.

Functions of the IPG

The functions of the Indian Parliamentary Group are as follows:

1. The group acts as a link between the Parliament of Indian and the various parliaments of the world. This link is maintained through goodwill missions, delegations etc with foreign parliaments
2. The Addresses of the members of the Parliament by visiting heads of states and Governments of foreign countries and talks by eminent persons are arranged under the auspices of the IPG
3. Seminars and symposia on parliamentary subjects are organized periodically at national as well as international levels.
4. Members of the Group, when visiting abroad are given letters of introduction to the Secretaries of the National Groups of the IPU and Secretaries of the CPA branches. The Indian Mission in the counters are also suitably informed so as to enable them to get assistance and usual courtesies
5. Only Members of the Parliament Group of at least six months standing at the time of the composition of the delegation, may be included in the Indian Parliamentary Delegations.

The Indian Parliamentary Group and IPU

The Inter Parliamentary Union is an international organisation of parliaments of sovereign states. At Present, the IPU consists of 153 parliaments and sovereign nations. The IPU is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The following are the advantages of being part of the IPU:

1. It helps members of Indian Parliamentary delegations to develop contacts with the parliamentarians of the member countries of the IPU
2. The events provide an opportunity to understand contemporary changes/reforms taking place in various countries of the world
3. It provides facilities to meet parliamentarians in different countries during tourism in abroad or in India when visiting Parliamentarians are here
4. The members of the group are eligible to visit foreign countries as members of Indian Parliamentary delegation to Inter-Parliamentary Conferences

In the recent past, members of the Group have been holding various positions on IPU bodies and by virtue of the same the Group has been successful putting the viewpoint of India on various important issues dealt in the IPU meetings.

Rationale of the Indian Parliamentary Group

Inter-parliamentary relations assume great importance in today’s globalised world. The world today is beset with many problems, and what set of problems a parliament faces today, may confront another tomorrow. Thus it is essential that a link exists between various parliaments of the world for frank and open discussion.

This link is maintained by India through the exchange of delegations, goodwill missions, documents etc. with foreign parliaments through the machinery of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG).

The IPG acts both as the National Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and also as the Indian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) which is part of the Commonwealth of Nations.