Tuesday, May 2 2006 15:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: A delegation of Indian lawmakers,including a former New York attorney, is on a week-long tour of the US as part of the Confederation of Indian Industry's efforts to enhance bilateral trade relations.

The Nine MPs, who form part of the delegation that arrived here yesterday, will engage their American counterparts in discussions on economy and trade, as they visit New York,Washington DC and Atlanta.

Besides, they would interact with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Deputy National Security Adviser J D Crouch, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordan England, Department of Commerce Under Secretary Dave McCormick and the Congressional Caucus on India.

CII hopes that the MPs, who come from various political parties in India, will present India's views forcefully and effectively and encourage US companies to look at India as an investment destination.

The delegates are B J Panda (BJD), Manvendra Singh (BJP), Shahid Siddiqui (Samajwadi Party), Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena), Deepender Singh Hooda, Madhu Goud Yaskhi, Prema Cariappa, Preneet Kaur and Sachin Pilot (all Congress).

Yaskhi, an NRI who founded International Legal and Trade Consultants in Manhattan over a decade ago, returned to India to contest Parliamentary elections from Nizamabad in 2004.

The MPs would also be visiting the Center for DiseaseControl, US corporates, the Council on Foreign Relations, US India Business Council, the New York Stock Exchange, theUnited Nations and the National Endowment for Democracy.

CII plans to institutionalise this initiative and organize MPs delegations on a regular basis.