Washington: A high-level Congressional delegation, led by Senator Mark Warner, will be visiting India on Saturday, during which it will discuss a range of bilateral issues, including business, trade and defence.
The five-member delegation also includes Senators Michael Bennet and Tom Udall; and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Cedric Richmond.
While Warner is co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, Crowley is co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus in the House of Representatives.
The delegation, during their stay from January 7 to January 14, will meet with top government and business leaders in New Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata, exploring opportunities to expand business, trade, defense and cultural relationships between the two countries.
The highlights of the trip include a visit to a National Basketball Association-sponsored camp for the young in New Delhi, and the signing of a new partnership agreement between the Virginia Community College System and the Wadhwani Foundation, a leading nonprofit foundation, to expand training curriculum for skilled trades within India, said a statement issued by the office of Senator Warner.
"The delegation will also attend the Confederation of Indian Industry's Partnership Summit in Hyderabad, and the congressional delegation will be the first to visit the state of West Bengal since the Communist Party was defeated after 34 years of party rule there," it said.
Through the week, the delegation will also learn more about education, child health, food safety and water purification efforts in the poorer regions of India, the statement said.
In addition, the delegation has 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, the statement said.
"The United States and India share a common democracy, a common language and a broad understanding of business," Warner said.
"I believe we have reached a point where it is time for the US-India relationship to advance from a longtime friendship to a full partnership, and I look forward to identifying and pursuing additional opportunities for our two nations to work more closely together."
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, India's current high-growth rate will result in a major economic transformation over the next two decades.
Income levels are forecast to almost triple, and India will climb from its position today as the twelfth largest consumer market to become the world's fifth-largest consumer market by 2025, the statement said.
At the same time, India's middle class is forecast to expand by more than ten times from its current size of 50 million people to more than 580 million people, it added.
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