The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) will be visiting Mumbai and Chennai with a cross-party delegation of 10 parliamentarians in March 2009 as part of the IPT India Fellowship.
This continues the IPT's initiative to increase knowledge and understanding of emerging economies, which started with the hugely successful China Fellowship programme in May 2008.
One of the compulsory elements of the India Fellowship is for parliamentarians to attend a minimum of four preparatory briefings on various relevant topics which could include the Indian economy; India's strategic alliances; Indian culture and understanding how to do business in India. In the recent Westminster Hall debate on British Business in China, the MPs who undertook the China Fellowship were unanimous in their praise for the value of the pre-visit preparation, which had been a distinctive and crucial element of the great success and effectiveness of their experience.
The 10 days in India will encompass visits to businesses in Mumbai and Chennai to gain insight into both the challenges faced by UK Plc and the opportunities offered. Potential industry sectors to be covered include film, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, finance, energy and defence. In addition, there will be a chance to look at how Indian businesses operate, through the Confederation of Indian Industries and to meet Indian companies who might be considering investing in the UK within the next five years.
The Emerging Economy Fellowship programme was established as a result of a survey carried out in 2006 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 MPs to focus on and, indeed, recent events have reinforced the relevance and importance of these issues.
The IPT Fellowship is open to all MPs and Peers. To make an application to join the programme, please download and complete an application form and send to:
Sarah Hutchison
Chief Financial Officer
Industry and Parliament Trust
Suite 101
3 Whitehall Court
London SW1A 2EL
E: sarah.hutchison@ipt.org.uk
F: +44 (0)20 7839 9401
T: +44 (0)20 7839 9406/9400
The delegation will be confirmed by mid-December.
