DPIR launches its first bespoke executive education programme: Chevening IBFP Parliamentarians Programme

Last week saw the launch of Departments first bespoke executive educational programme: the Chevening IBFP Parliamentarians Programme, a week-long series of tailor-made sessions offering a group of distinguished Indian parliamentarians the best of Oxfords insight and research from some of our finest academics, as well as providing meetings with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and other UK Government departments.

This outstanding programme was led by Professor Stephen Whitefield (Academic Director), Mr. Richard Briant (Programme Co-Director) and Ms. Genevieve J. Garrido (Programme Manager) with the aim of:

exposing Indias leaders to the UKs top opinion formers and decision-makers in a wide range of fields and enable them to build a network of UK based contacts,

expanding horizons and capacities by giving a world view which has at its centre an understanding of the UK achievements and of developments in the EU,

enabling HMG and UK organisations to develop contacts with Indias leaders.

The programme participants comprised of a multi-party group of MPs, led by Deepender Hooda (Congress, Haryana), Chair, Indo-British Forum of Parliamentarians, and Sachin Pilot (Congress party, Rajasthan), Union Minister of State for Communications and IT, included: Jayant Chaudhary (Rashtriya Lok Dal, Uttar Pradesh); Piyush Goyal (Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra); Chandan Mitra (BJP, Madhya Pradesh); Asaduddin Owaisi (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimmen party, Andhra Pradesh); Lagadapati Rajagopal (Congress, Andhra Pradesh); Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra). Ramesh Chandran, Advisor, FICCI and Executive Director Forums of Parliamentarians also joined the delegation, along with representatives from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

The sessions focused on tackling key issues of the 21st century that effect both India and Britain, and providing a broadening of understanding of how to apply political solutions in an Indian context.There were many lively discussions and much exchanging of ideas, and we hope that the programme marks the beginning of a relationship between DPIR and the Parliament of India that will prove to be close and enduring.