New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS): Following the first India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, members of the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians left on Sunday for Washington, it was announced on Sunday.
"The delegation shall visit Washington D.C and New York from October 4 to 9," said business chamber, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
"Over the weeklong stay in Washington DC and New York, the delegation will have interactions with US government officials, policy makers, academicians, civil society, industry fora, Indian diaspora and media," it said.
"The agenda also includes meetings at the World Bank and United Nations headquarters, given India's growing prominence at multilateral fora," it added.
MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, who is also the chair of FICCI's India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, FICCI president-elect Harshavardhan Neotia and FICCI secretary general A.Didar Singh are accompanying the multi-party MPs delegation, which includes Jyotiraditya Scindia, K.Kavitha, Arpita Ghosh and Gaurav Gogoi.
Besides cooperation on issues like counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, and maritime security, a closer partnership for mutual economic prosperity is a crucial component of the India-US relationship.
"However, commercial and economic relations have yet to reach their potential," FICCI said.
Didar Singh said: "I am pleased that this delegation is visiting at a time when there is such great emphasis on India-US relations. From a trade relationship being called 'flat as chapati', bilateral trade has reached $100 billion."
The continued major reductions in poverty were due to strong growth rates in developing countries in recent years and investments in people's education, health and social safety nets, said Jim Yong Kim, president of World Bank Group.
In order to further reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity, the World Bank president called on countries to boost broad-based growth that generates sufficient income-earning opportunities to invest in areas such as education, health and sanitation, and to protect the poor and vulnerable against sudden risks of unemployment, hunger, illness and other calamities.