Maharashtra State Legislature delegation in UK to explore partnerships – EQ
London : A delegation of 22 legislators from the Maharashtra Legislative Council led by Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Diwakar Gorhe and including Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar held discussions at India House in London on Thursday as part of a three-nation European study tour.
The delegation, which has already covered Germany and the Netherlands during the 11-day tour, is on the last leg of their visit, during which they plan to explore potential state partnerships with the UK in the fields of trade, technology and sustainable energy. They are also scheduled to interact with members of the Maharashtrian diaspora during their four-day UK visit before heading back to India on Sunday.
“This is the first time there are more than 50 per cent women delegates in this delegation when we visited Germany and the Netherlands, and the UK is our third and final destination,” said Dr Gorhe after an interaction with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.
“His Excellency explained that we should concentrate on education, trade, and also finance and technology. On the people-to-people cooperation front, he highlighted the need for providing support to women married in India and then finding themselves in trouble here in the UK. They get about 10 cases per week of women who need help, for which they need support organisations to assist with their rehabilitation,” she said.
Other areas covered by the delegation during their European tour include exploration of tie-ups in wind energy and other environmental issues.
“The prime purpose of this visit is a study tour to understand the various developmental aspects which are happening in these countries. It is also to understand environment-related issues, and how they are being dealt with by these countries,” explained Narwekar.
“We are also primarily interested in how these countries are dealing with climate change. And last but not least, the possibility of increasing trade between these countries and Maharashtra,” the State Assembly Speaker said.
“Most of our legislators represent various parts of the state. Ours is an agrarian economy where a large portion of the economy is covered by agriculture. Therefore, representatives from across the state also want to understand how agricultural produce can be promoted in these countries,” he added.
While in London, the delegation will also be interacting with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to discuss best parliamentary practices to promote parliamentary democracy and also a diaspora interaction organised by the Maharashtra Mandal.
