Bhubaneswar: A two-day National Conference of the Chairpersons and Members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Committees of Parliament and State Assemblies will be held in Bhubaneswar on August 29 and 30, 2025. This marks the first time such a conference is being organized outside of New Delhi.
Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla, will formally inaugurate the conference on August 29 at the Convention Centre of the Odisha Lok Seva Bhavan. This was announced by Odisha Assembly Speaker Shrimati Surma Padhi at a press conference today, where she expressed her gratitude to the Lok Sabha Speaker and other officials for choosing Odisha as the host state, recognizing its large Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population. Odisha Legislative Assembly Secretary Shri Satyabrat Rout was also present at the press conference.
Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram, Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh and Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Dr. Faghan Singh Kulaste will also address the gathering. The Chairman and Members of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Parliament and State/UT Assemblies, Ministers of the Government of Odisha and Members and MPs of Odisha Assembly will attend the inaugural function.
Speaker of Odisha Assembly Smt.Padhi will deliver the welcome address in the inaugural session while the Deputy Speaker of Odisha Assembly Shri Bhavani Shankar Bhoi will move the motion of thanks.
The Chairman and Members of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Parliament and State/UT Assemblies will attend the conference. The theme of the current conference is ‘Role of Parliamentary and Legislative Committees in the Welfare, Development and Empowerment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’.
On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony on 30th August 2025, the Governor of Odisha, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Dr. Faghan Singh Kulaste, Speaker of Odisha Assembly Smt. Surma Padhi, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha Smt. Parvathi Parida, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, Electronics and IT Dr. Mukesh Mahaling will deliver speeches. Chairman of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Odisha Assembly Shri Bhaskar Madhei will move the motion of thanks.
The conference’s theme is ‘Role of Parliamentary and Legislative Committees in the Welfare, Development and Empowerment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’. The event will serve as a platform for delegates to exchange views on parliamentary traditions and welfare work in different states. Discussions will focus on strengthening constitutional protections, enhancing socio-economic development, and empowering Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, with an emphasis on achieving an inclusive “Developed India by 2047.”
A two-day exhibition will also be held alongside the conference to showcase the behavior, dress, work skills, craftsmanship, and handicrafts of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities of Odisha. Arrangements have been made for the visiting dignitaries to experience the history, culture, dance-music, art, and crafts of Odisha, and to visit iconic sites like the Shri Jagannath Temple, Konark Sun Temple, and Tribal Museum.
The conference is expected to create awareness among the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, intellectuals, youth, students, elected representatives, and social workers of Odisha.
It is noteworthy that this is the first time the conference is being held outside Delhi, with previous editions taking place in the national capital in 1976, 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2001.