New Delhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead the Indian parliamentary delegation to the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia from Thursday.

The delegation will include Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Rajya Sabha member Shambhu Sharan Patel, Lok Sabha General Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh and Rajya Sabha General Secretary PC Modi.

The theme of the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum is 'The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security'.

Presiding Officers of the Parliaments of the BRICS countries and the invited countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – and Chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Tulia Axon, will participate in the meeting.

Birla is scheduled to address the Plenary Session on two sub-themes - 'BRICS Parliamentary Dimension: Prospects for Strengthening Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation' and 'Role of Parliaments in Countering Fragmentation of the Multilateral Trading System and Related Threats' 'Consequences of global crises'.

Harivansh will address the plenary session on two sub-themes – 'The role of parliaments in enhancing the efficiency of the system of international relations and ensuring its democratization' and 'Inter-parliamentary cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural fields'.

The Lok Sabha Speaker will also meet members of the Indian diaspora in Moscow.