Sen Chaudhary to visit India with trade delegation

Washington, Jun 30: Minnesota Senator Satveer Chaudhary will be part of a State delegation visiting India in October on a trade mission.

Senator Chaudhary, a renowned spokesman for the Asian Indian community in Minnesota, was formally invited this week to participate in the week-long mission in which State officials will explore expansion of the economic relationship between Minnesota state and India.

''This is an amazing opportunity, not only for Minnesota businesses to find new markets, but for the people of our state and the people of India to foster a more productive friendship,'' Senator Chaudhary said.

In the past, Mr Chaudhary had worked on setting up a sister-state agreement between Minnesota and Haryana, the state where his family is originally from.

Senator Chaudhary's parents emigrated to the US from India in the 1960s, before he was born. In 1996, when he was elected state representative, Mr Chaudhary became the first Asian-American member of the Minnesota Legislature and only the fourth Asian Indian elected to a state legislature in the United States.

Four years later, he became the first Asian Indian Senator in American history. Senator Chaudhary has worked closely with the 20,000-plus Asian Indians living in Minnesota for many years. In 2001, Senator Chaudhary was listed among the top 50 non-resident Indians in the world by NRI World magazine.

According to the Minnesota Trade Office, India is currently the 21st largest trading partner with Minnesota.

UNI