New Delhi: U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner, co-chair of the U.S. Senate’s India Caucus, will lead a five-member congressional delegation on a visit to India between January 7 and January 14. The delegation will meet with top government and business leaders in New Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, exploring opportunities to expand business, trade, defense and cultural relationships between the two countries.

In addition to Senator Warner, the delegation will include U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (Colorado) and Tom Udall (New Mexico), and Representatives Joseph Crowley (New York) and Cedric Richmond (Louisiana). Representative Crowley is co-chair of the U.S. House of Representatives’ India Caucus.

“The United States and India share a common democracy, a common language and a broad understanding of business,” Senator Warner said. “I believe we have reached a point where it is time for the U.S.-India relationship to advance from a longtime friendship to a full partnership, and I look forward to identifying and pursuing additional opportunities for our two nations to work more closely together.”

Highlights of the trip will include a visit to a National Basketball Association-sponsored camp for young people in New Delhi, announcement of a new partnership between the Virginia Community College System and a leading nonprofit foundation to expand the training curriculum for skilled trades within India, and the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Partnership Summit in Hyderabad. The delegation also will learn more about education, child health, food safety and water purification efforts in different regions of India. In addition, Senator Warner and his colleagues will conduct dozens of meetings with leading executives of India’s security, energy, and IT industries to explore export and investment opportunities between the two nations.