Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi and two Union ministers of state Ajay Maken and Agatha Sangma are among the dozen odd Members of Parliament who would attend the fourth annual Yale University Programme for India’s Parliamentarians.
The prestigious programme was launched by Yale University in 2007 in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and India-US Forum of Parliamentarians.
Other participating parliamentarians for this years are Anto Antony, Gaddam Vivekanand, Pradeep Majhi from the Congress; Jyoti Dhurve and Janardhana Swamy from the Bharatiya Janata Party; Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal); Bhartruhari Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal); Asaduddin Owaisi (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)) and Neeraj Shekhar (Samajwadi Party).
The parliamentarians will be accompanied by Ramesh Chandran (Executive Director, India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, and Advisor, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry).
Besides undergoing a seven-day leadership programme at the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut beginning June from 9, the MPs would travel to New York and Washington for meetings, discussions and interactions with US politicians, policy analysts and senior government officials.
“The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme is pioneering in the amazing diversity of topics explored; in the outstanding, cutting edge quality of the world- renowned lecturers; in the truly bipartisan nature of the multi-party delegation; in the unusual blend of the vibrant young and the experienced vets comprising the delegation” said Mr Singhvi, the chairman of the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians.
Yale president Richard C. Levin said that India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme underscores Yale’s longstanding commitment to educating its students for service and leadership.
The programme encourages greater understanding of public leadership, accountability, transparency and parliamentary oversight amongst the parliamentarians, said Amit Mitra, FICCI secretary general.
“It is designed to provide the parliamentarians capacity building and skill development and greater engagement in public policy discussions,” he said.
The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme was developed in consultation with the parliamentarians and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians and reflects the belief that exposure to new fields and ideas can offer insight, perspective, and new ways of thinking for one’s own work.