India Fellowship

The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) visited Mumbai and Chennai with a cross-party delegation of 10 parliamentarians in March 2009 as part of the IPT India Fellowship.

This continued the IPT's initiative to increase knowledge and understanding of emerging economies, which started with the hugely successful China Fellowship programme in May 2008.

The 10 days in India encompassed visits to businesses in Mumbai and Chennai to gain insight into both the challenges faced by UK Plc and the opportunities offered. Industry sectors covered include film, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, food and beverages, technology, transport, finance, legal, FMCG, energy, education, banking, Stock Exchange and defence. In addition there was a chance to look at how Indian businesses operate, by visiting some high profile indigenous brands.

As part of the feedback from the India trip, all the parliamentarians who went are producing a report of their visit covering what was learnt and how to improve/increase commercial contact with India. If you would like to read the reports please click on the names below:

• Lord Janvrin
• Baroness Coussins

Furthermore, the IPT will be compiling a comprehensive research report on the India Fellowship in conjunction with the Commonwealth Business Council, outlining what areas need to be further developed and pursued to promote UK Plc.

Other initiatives emanating from the visit include:

• A reunion lunch with representatives from companies who participated in the fellowship but are based in the UK. This is scheduled for 23 June 2009 and other interested parties will also be invited to attend, such as the UKIBC and the Commonwealth Business Council. The aim of the lunch is to provide a forum for the parliamentarians to feed back to the companies on the issues that were raised;
• British Council lunch: The delegation met the Council both in Chennai and Mumbai and was impressed with the "soft diplomacy" used by the organisation to promote British interests;
• A Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons;
• A QSD or Dinner Break debate in the House of Lords;
• Oral report to the cross-bench Peers;
• Engagement with the Indian Diaspora via events and local newspapers such as Asian Lite.

The Emerging Economy Fellowship programme was established as a result of a survey carried out in 2008 of 500 companies which were both IPT members and non-members from a variety of sectors, which highlighted emerging economies and energy resources as key areas for parliamentarians to focus on and, indeed, recent events have reinforced the relevance and importance of these issues.

If you would like further information or would like to be involved with the work of the IPT and its foreign fellowships, please contact: