Pune: Transportation, healthcare and public service are issues that matter to the US and India and both countries want to learn from each other, said Utah senator Wayne Harper, who is part of a delegation of senior US state legislators from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), USA.The group is in Pune as part of the Bharat-USA Legislators Engagement for Action and Policy (LEAP) programme, a bilateral initiative aimed to strengthen legislative cooperation, governance learning and policy exchange between India and the US.The National Legislators’ Conference ((NLC ) Bharat and the MIT School of Government have organised the visit. It is part of an ongoing partnership between NLC Bharat and NCSL. The collaboration began with an agreement in 2023 and was expanded through a comprehensive memorandum of understanding signed in Texas in 2025. The aim is to deepen exchanges between lawmakers from the world’s two largest democracies.The US delegation includes Harper, who serves as the NCSL president emeritus and president pro tempore of the Utah senate, Kansas senate majority leader Chase Blasi, Hawaii senate majority whip Chris Lee, Alaska house majority leader Dan Saddler, Hawaii representative Kirstin Kahaloa and Utah senator Ron Winterton.During their visit to Mumbai on Wednesday, the delegation met representatives of the National Stock Exchange, World Trade Centre and Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council to discuss trade, investment and economic cooperation. They also interacted with Mumbai’s dabbawalas and visited civic and community institutions.In Pune, the legislators are participating in policy discussions, institutional visits and governance-focused sessions organised by NLC Bharat and the MIT School of Government.Harper spoke to reporters on Thursday and said the visit was helping strengthen relationships established over the last few years and reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement between India and the US. “We have more things in common than we disagree on. Transportation, healthcare and public service are issues that matter to both countries. We want to learn from India just as India wants to learn from us,” he said.Harper, who is visiting India for the third time, said he had witnessed significant progress in the country over the years. “I’ve seen growth, improvements in the economy and advancements in transportation. It’s a very good experience to be here, and I look forward to learning more about the culture and the education system,” he said.Lee, who is in India for the first time, described the experience as an opportunity to build long-term partnerships. “We’ve had great conversations with people who share similar values and are working on similar challenges. If we continue these conversations, there’s no telling what we could accomplish together,” he said.Founder of NLC Bharat Rahul Karad said the initiative was conceived to create meaningful dialogue among legislators and promote policy learning across borders. “The objective is to build enduring relationships between lawmakers, encourage exchange of governance practices and develop collaborative solutions to common public policy challenges,” he said.Karad said NLC Bharat was launched in 2023 as a non-partisan platform for legislators from across political parties and states. Its inaugural conference in Mumbai brought together around 1,800 legislators and public leaders. Since then, exchanges between Indian and US lawmakers have expanded steadily, including Indian delegations attending NCSL legislative summits in Kentucky and Boston.Organisers said the LEAP programme combines policy discussions, field visits and institutional interactions to facilitate practical learning on governance, public administration and citizen-centric policymaking, while strengthening ties between democratic institutions in both countries.
