To attend International Visitor Leadership Program along with 10 Indian leaders from other State in the USA
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) is pleased to announce that the Government of the United States of America (USA) has invited Mr Vikas Soni, Youth Congress Leader from Amritsar, to attend the 76 edition of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) along with 10 other Indian political leaders from different States. Mr Vikas Soni is only leader from Punjab, who has been selected to attend this program in the USA.
The PPCC is pleased to state that Mr Vikas Soni, who is one of the most promising budding Congress leaders is the only young politician from Punjab to have been selected for the IVYP program in the USA.
In the nominating justification in the IVLP nomination Mr Soni has been mentioned as a ‘dynamic’ and ‘the first elected (as opposed to directly appointed) President of the Amritsar District of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC)’, ‘a great political organizer’, ‘leading campaign coordinator for Congress party in the assembly and national parliamentary elections’. He has been lauded for helping the Congress achieve a key political victory in the Amritsar Lok Sabha election in May 2014 by defeating BJP’s senior leader and current Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
‘Taking cognizance of his organizational skills, Congress Vice President Mr Rahul Gandhi had asked Mr Soni to – serve as the campaign coordinator in one constituency during the 2012 Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections.
Giving details, Mr Soni informed that the selection process for the program is undertaken by the USA Government and the USA Embassy officials. The USA visit under the IVLP would include a visit to Washington DC, Portland, Oregon, Little Rock, Arkansas and Chicago, Illinois. The expenses for the entire program are borne by the USA government,” he said.
Mr Soni revealed that the USA Government has outlined the project goals which include introducing the structures and functions of the USA federalist system of the government, with emphasis on the division of authority and responsibility between federal, state and local governments, demonstration of successful models of cooperation among the state and local governments, NGOs, community organizations and the business sector to provide responsive governance.
“Discussions on the. USA political system, including electoral systems and campaigns, with special emphasis on the role of youth and social media a developing a deeper understanding of the current domestic and foreign policy issues and how they influence and are influenced by USA india bilateral relations are also important components of the project goals,” Mr Soni said.
By attending this program, he would join the bandwagon of the Indian bigwigs, including Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi, former President of India Mr K R Narayanan, former President of India Mrs Pratibha Patil, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra besides a host of other renowned personalities, who have attended this program in this past.
Others, who have been selected for the program include, Ms Him Shafi Bhatt, Vice President, Jammu & Kashmir State BJP Mahila Morcha (Women’s wing), Mr Santosh Raosaheb Danve, MLA (Bhokardan Constituency), Government Maharashtra, Mr Saz Ishaq, president, Aligarh Unit, Samajwadi Party, Mr Dharmendrasinh Mehrubha Jadeja, MLA Jamnagar North Constituency, Government of Gujarat, Mr Sambt Patra, Spokesperson, BJP, New Delhi, Mr Devendra Singh Shekhawat, president, Ajmer Distric, Bharatiya Janata Yuva, Mr Dambaru Sisa, MLA, Chitrakonda, Odisha State Legislative Assembly, Mr Mahesh Tapase, Spokesperson, Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtara, Mr Yatishwaranand, MLA, Uttrakhand Legislative Assembly, Mr Utkarsh Verma, MLA, UP, and Mr Amit Sihag president, Haryana State Indian Youth Congress.