BRITISH LABOUR POLITICIANS VISIT INDIA
(1 April 2006)

On Saturday, 1st April 2006, seven members of the Parliamentary Labour Party who are prominent members of the Labour Friends of India (LFIN) parliamentary group left Britain to visit India on an organised visit. The delegation will visit the cities of Delhi and Kolkata during their eight day programme and returns to Britain on 9th April 2006.

Asked about the visit, Stephen Pound MP, Chairman of LFIN, said "these visits have provided our delegates in the past with the opportunity to understand and see for them-selves the real India. The delegates return having forged strong links and established a connection with the many people we meet with in industry, business, politics and civic society."

The delegation will visit Delhi and meet with senior politicians such as Kamal Nath, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry; LK Advani, Leader of the Opposition; Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi; Anand Sharma, Minister for External Affairs and others. As part of industry, FICCI and CII will provide perspectives on the Indian economy and convey the key issues of significance to India viz international trade & investment. The delegates will also visit Indraprastha Apollo Hospital; take a ride on the Delhi metro; visit the visa section of the British High Commission and view the activity of a call centre operated by HCL which has an operation employing over 1000 people in Belfast.

In Kolkata, the delegates will meet the Governor of West Bengal, Chief Minister of West Bengal; participate in a round table meeting with local businesses organised by FICCI’s eastern region and also meet the state government’s nodal investment agency – the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Whilst in Kolkata, the delegation will visit a development project that is funded by the Dept. for International Development.

Regarding Kolkata, Mr Pound added "As UK politicians, we recognise the emerging significance of this super city of 13 million people with its massively exciting programme of new industry and infrastructure and by visiting we hope to learn a little more of the way the city works, particularly as we’ll be there in the midst of the state elections."

The delegates visiting India are:

1. Mr. Stephen Pound MP (Ealing North), Chairman of LFIN Parliamentary Private Secretary to Hazel Blears MP, Minister for Home Office
2. The Rt. Hon. Baroness Corston Former Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party)
3. Ms. Dawn Butler MP (Brent South) Parliamentary Private Secretary to Helen Kennedy MP, Minister of Health
4. Mr Andrew Gwynne MP (Denton & Reddish) Parliamentary Private Secretary to Baroness Scotland, Minister for Home Office
5. Ms Celia Barlow (Hove)
6. Mr. Sadiq Khan MP (Tooting)
7. Sir Peter Soulsby MP (Leicester South)
8. Vikas Pota, Managing Director of Saffron Chase

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