Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is set to inaugurate a major parliamentary conference in Nagaland that aims to strengthen democratic participation, improve legislative effectiveness, and address pressing regional issues confronting India’s Northeastern states. The 22nd annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone-III will begin on Monday in Kohima, bringing together presiding officers and lawmakers from all eight Northeastern states for two days of dialogue and policy discussions.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Dimapur on Sunday, Birla emphasised that the central theme of this year’s gathering will be improving public engagement in the lawmaking process. He noted that rapid technological transformation, especially advances in artificial intelligence and the broader digital revolution, have created new opportunities for bringing governance closer to citizens. The conference, he said, would focus on rethinking legislative practices to ensure assemblies remain transparent, accessible, and responsive in an era defined by digital tools and heightened public expectations.

The annual CPA conference is among the most significant regional parliamentary events in Northeast India. CPA India Region Zone-III represents the eight Northeastern legislatures and plays a vital role in advancing inter-state cooperation, enhancing legislative capacity, and promoting shared solutions to common regional challenges. Over the years, the zone has emerged as an effective platform for discussing issues such as infrastructure development, border connectivity, environmental vulnerabilities, and the broader objectives of the Act East Policy.

This year’s conference theme—“Policy, Progress and People: Legislatures as Catalysts of Change”—reflects the organisers’ intent to highlight the role of elected bodies in steering developmental transformation. The sub-themes, “Role of legislatures in achieving Viksit Bharat” and “Climate change in light of recent cloudbursts and landslides in the Northeast,” underline both national aspirations and region-specific concerns. Legislators will deliberate on how assemblies can support the goal of Viksit Bharat through inclusive governance, targeted development policies, and stronger institutional frameworks.

For the Northeast, environmental instability has emerged as a critical policy area. The region has witnessed a series of devastating cloudbursts, floods, and landslides in recent years, events linked to climate change and unplanned development. These disasters have disrupted livelihoods, destroyed public infrastructure, and caused significant loss of life. The CPA conference is expected to address mitigation strategies, disaster-preparedness mechanisms, and the need for long-term climate-resilient infrastructure. Lawmakers will examine how legislatures can strengthen oversight, push for improved environmental planning, and ensure that climate-related policies reflect the unique topography and needs of the region.

The gathering will be attended by several senior leaders, including Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, and Nagaland Assembly Speaker Sharingain Longkumer, who also serves as Chairman of CPA India Region Zone-III. Their participation reflects the emphasis on collaborative leadership and the shared commitment to advancing both regional and national priorities.

An official statement released ahead of the conference outlined the achievements of CPA India Region Zone-III in recent years. The zone has contributed significantly to reinforcing parliamentary best practices and strengthening institutional mechanisms for more effective lawmaking. Its role has been particularly important in addressing the Northeast’s distinctive developmental challenges and strategic goals. Among its accomplishments is the successful push for including the Northeast Region in the India-ASEAN Vision for trade and cooperation. This inclusion underscores the geopolitical importance of the Northeast as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia and strengthens the case for better transport links, border trade facilities, and cultural exchanges through the Act East Policy.

In the economic sphere, CPA Zone-III has repeatedly called for accelerated infrastructure development in the region. Slow progress on major projects has long been a bottleneck in unlocking the Northeast’s economic potential. The zone’s resolutions have emphasised the need for more efficient implementation of national highway projects, strengthening of border trading outposts, modernisation of airports, and expansion of railway networks. These recommendations align closely with broader national initiatives aimed at improving connectivity, enhancing logistics, and integrating the region more closely with the rest of India and its neighbouring countries.

Another major area of focus for CPA India Region Zone-III has been the improvement of legislative procedures through technology. Many Northeastern states, due to their geography and smaller legislative sizes, have been early adopters of tech-based reforms. The implementation of the National eVidhan Application (NeVA) is cited as a key example. NeVA aims to digitise the functioning of state assemblies—reducing paperwork, improving record-keeping, ensuring data accessibility, and making proceedings more efficient. Its adoption has been a transformative step in enabling lawmakers to access bills, questions, committee reports, and legislative histories through a unified digital platform.

The zone has also championed greater public engagement with legislative work. With the digitalisation of proceedings, citizens can more easily follow debates, track decisions, and understand how laws are shaped. This transparency helps build trust in institutions and empowers people to engage meaningfully with democratic processes. Birla noted that the conference will discuss new ways of strengthening this engagement, especially as technologies related to machine learning, automation, and data analytics reshape governance models globally.

The CPA conference comes at a time when the Northeast continues to undergo social, political, and economic transitions. While the region has made progress in connectivity, digital access, and public services, challenges persist in the form of climatic hazards, unemployment, uneven development, and complex ethnic dynamics. Legislatures play a critical role in managing these transitions, and forums like the CPA conference offer an opportunity for cross-state dialogue and shared learning.

By bringing lawmakers and presiding officers together, the conference is expected to foster discussions that go beyond routine legislative issues. Participants are likely to explore innovative solutions to governance challenges, new models of public participation, and strategies for aligning state-level policies with national goals such as Viksit Bharat, climate action, and technological inclusion. The emphasis on collaboration reflects a recognition that many of the Northeast’s challenges—such as climate vulnerability, land degradation, connectivity gaps, and economic disparities—cannot be addressed in isolation.

As parliamentary leaders assemble in Kohima for the conference, the overarching goal remains clear: strengthening institutions so they can better serve the people. Through conversations on technology, policy, climate resilience, and democratic participation, the event aims to reaffirm the critical role legislatures play as engines of societal progress. The outcomes of the conference are expected to contribute to shaping the legislative agenda across Northeastern states, influencing both regional strategies and national policy priorities in the months ahead.