New Delhi: “India is strongly raising the voice of the Global South on every global platform and building open-source technology that can be shared with the world,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday as he inaugurated the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi.
Setting the tone for the high-level parliamentary gathering, Modi underlined India’s commitment to democratic values, inclusive growth and technology-driven governance while positioning the country as a natural bridge between developed nations and the developing world.
Addressing Speakers and Presiding Officers from across the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister said India’s democratic journey has shown that diversity, when anchored in strong institutions, can become a source of stability and progress rather than division.
Recalling India’s G20 presidency, Modi said New Delhi had ensured that concerns of developing nations were brought to the centre of global decision-making.
He noted that India is now taking this approach further by developing open-source digital public infrastructure that other countries can adapt for their own governance needs, a move aimed at strengthening democratic institutions across the Global South and the wider Commonwealth.
The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s democratic scale, pointing to the recent general elections as one of the largest exercises of popular participation in history, and said technology has played a crucial role in deepening transparency, inclusion and last-mile delivery.
From digital payments to citizen-centric platforms, he said India’s experience could offer valuable lessons for legislatures navigating rapid technological change.
The three-day CSPOC, chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, has drawn delegations from over 40 Commonwealth countries, making it one of the largest editions of the conference. Discussions will focus on contemporary challenges facing legislatures, including the role of Speakers in safeguarding democratic traditions, the impact of artificial intelligence and social media on parliamentary functioning, and ways to make law-making more accessible and accountable to citizens.
As India hosts the conference for the fourth time, Modi’s address framed the meet as more than a parliamentary dialogue, presenting it as a platform for collective reflection on democracy in a changing world and a reaffirmation of India’s intent to champion cooperation, innovation and the shared aspirations of the Global South within the Commonwealth.
BI Bureau
