Political India: Engaging America

Mark Warner, co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus and Democrat of Virginia, will lead a five-member Congressional delegation on a visit to India during January 7-14, according to a statement by his office.

Mr. Warner along with Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, heads the Senate group which played a key role in the India-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement negotiations. It has continued to be a voice of support for closer ties between the countries.

In a bid to further expand business, trade, defence and cultural relationships between the two nations Mr. Warner’s delegation said that it would meet with top government and business leaders in New Dehli, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata during the visit.

Other members of the delegation include Senators Michael Bennet and Tom Udall and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Cedric Richmond. Mr. Crowley is co-chair of the House India Caucus and both he and his Senate colleagues recently hosted several Congressional events to welcome Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to the post that she took up in September last year.

In a statement Mr. Warner’s office said that the highlights of the trip would include a visit to a National Basketball Association-sponsored camp for young people in New Delhi, and the signing of a new partnership agreement between the Virginia Community College System and the Wadhwani Foundation to expand the training curriculum for skilled trades within India.

The delegation also plans to attend the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Partnership Summit in Hyderabad. The aim of the trip would be to additionally familiarise the delegates with India’s approach to education, child health, food safety and water purification in some of the poorer regions.

The U.S. leaders were said to have scheduled “dozens of meetings with top government officials and leading executives of India’s security, energy, biotech and IT industries to explore export and investment opportunities between the two nations.”