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.




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