Om Birla sets up 'Parliamentary Friendship Groups' with over 60 nations; Tharoor, Owaisi, Nishikant Dubey among leaders

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla has constituted Parliamentary Friendship Groups with over 60 countries, in a move to boost "India’s inter- parliamentary engagement with the world", according to the Lok Sabha secretariat's announcement on Monday."In a significant step to widen India’s inter- parliamentary engagement with the world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted Parliamentary Friendship Groups with more than 60 countries," said the secretariat, as quoted by ANI.Talking about its signifiance, it added, "The move reflects a conscious effort by the Indian Parliament to deepen dialogue and exchanges with legislatures across continents and to complement traditional diplomacy with sustained parliamentary interaction." Various politicians across party lines will be involed in leading the groups. The group leaders include:According to the secretariat, some of the countries the Parliamentary Friendship Groups have been constituted with are: