Baijayant leaves for Canberra

BHUBANESWAR: Senior BJD leader and Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda will be part of the Special Visitors Programme managed by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.Under this programme, future leaders are invited to visit Australia and meet decision-makers and commentators.Panda who has left for Canberra will visit the Australian Parliament which is sitting for the Budget session and meet some important members. During the visit, Panda’s Australian counterparts will highlight and showcase their ongoing work to strengthen the Australia-India relationship.The visit is aimed at improving the relationship between the two countries and trade ties.Australia had opened diplomatic relations with India as early as 1944. The Bilateral trade between India and Australia in 2011 was $ 15 billion, up from US $ 14 billion the year before.