Washington, June 9 (IANS) A group
of 13 Indian parliamentarians are taking a leadership program at Yale
University, widely recognized for educating leaders in government,
business and civil society worldwide
The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program was launched in October
2007 in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI) and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians.
This year's participants, including senior leaders from the ruling and
opposition coalitions in India, arrived at the Yale University campus in
New Haven, Connecticut Sunday to begin a four-day leadership Program
with Yale faculty. It will be complemented by a two-day Program of
meetings, discussions, and interactions with US politicians, policy
analysts, and senior US government officials in Washington, D.C.
The participating parliamentarians include forum chairman Baijant Panda
(Biju Janata Dal), Minister of State for Communications and Information
Technology Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress party spokesman Abhishek M.
Singhvi and Vice-Chairperson and Editorial Director of the HT Media
Group, Shobhana Bhartia (Nominated).
Other nine participants are: Jayanthi Natarajan and Vijay Jawaharlal
Darda (both Congress) , Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Yashodhara Raje Scindia,
Kiren Rijiju and Uday Singh (all BJP), Saleem Iqbal Shervani (Samajwadi
Party), Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena) and Sebastian Paul (Independent)
"The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program underscores Yale's
longstanding commitment to educating our students for service and
leadership. We have now gone a step further to include emerging and
mid-career leaders," said Yale President Richard C. Levin.
"The Program will provide the parliamentarians with opportunities to
critically think about the challenges of leadership and to explore
freely, away from the legislative arena, the issues facing India."
"The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program will encourage greater
understanding of public leadership, accountability, transparency and
parliamentary oversight amongst the parliamentarians," said FICCI
Secretary General Amit Mitra.
"It is designed to provide the parliamentarians capacity building and
skill development and greater engagement in public policy discussions.
The Program is aimed at making an important contribution to their
leadership capabilities to prevent and manage challenges through
effective parliamentary governance."
The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program 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.
Lectures, discussions, and private meetings with renowned practitioners
in their areas will complement the curricular activities of the Yale
Program. Faculty for the Program are drawn from experts at Yale, as well
as research institutes, government offices, and the private sector.
In Washington, D.C., the participants of the India-Yale Parliamentary
Leadership Program will hold discussions on India-US bilateral issues
with senior US government officials from the US Department of State, US
Department of Agriculture, US Trade Representative, and National
Security Council.
They will also receive briefings and interactions on foreign policy
issues and the US presidential election from scholars and advisers with
the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the Brookings
Institution, the Democratic National Committee, and the Republic
National Committee.
The topics covered in the second India - Yale Parliamentary Leadership
Program include Climate Change and Sustainable Development; Economic
Risks in the Global Economy; Rule of Law and Governance in China;
Poverty and Economic Development; Religion and Politics; Reform of
Higher Education in India; 2008 US Presidential Election - Predictions
and Realities; India and Globalisation; Effective and Strategic
Political Communications; Styles of Leadership; Innovation; and
Leadership Challenges.
Yale has since 2004 held similar governmental Programs for senior
leaders from China, Japan, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates.
Formed six years ago with the support of FICCI, the India-US Forum is a
body of leading Indian parliamentarians representing the broad political
spectrum of India from both Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The Forum, constituted on the lines of "Senate Friends of India" Group
and the "India Caucus" in the US, makes an effort to facilitate wider
exchange of dialogue on crucial issues of bilateral and global concerns
with parliamentarians, officials, business leaders, opinion makers and
the Indian American community.
The Forum through Track II initiatives adds important parliamentary
dimension to the bilateral relations.
Click
here to send Gifts to India
|