New Delhi

Finance Minister to Leave for Chicago on A Two Day Official Visit on 28th January;
will hold Discussions with Business Leaders of Corporate World; to Unveil the Plaque of Swami Vivekanand and Inaugurate the Painting Exhibition of Guru Rabindernath Tagore
 
The Union Finance Minster Shri Pranab Mukherjee would be leaving for the two day official visit to Chicago, US on the early  morning of Saturday,28th January, 2012. During his visit, the Finance Minister’s first engagement on arrival would be to address the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where large number of business leaders of the Corporate World are likely to participate. These business leaders would mainly be from Fortune 500 companies as Chicago is Headquarter of 32 such companies including Boeing, Caterpillar, McDonalds, Kraft, Abbott Laboratories and Sara Lee among others. During his address, the Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee is likely to share his perception about the Indian and Global economy especially when the world economic situation is in a state of flux. On the other hand, India today occupies the leadership position in the world order across various fields and has enormous resources, technology and skills with a pre eminent position. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee is likely to envisage the shared goals and objectives with these business leaders and invite them to become an active partner in India growth story.                    
 
 Beside above, other major engagements of the Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee include unveiling of Swami Vivekananda Memorial Plaque at the Art Institute of Chicago, inauguration of exhibitions of Tagore Paintings at Art Institute of Chicago and signing of two agreements by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India with the (a)Art Institute of Chicago for the “Vivekananda Memorial Programme for Museum Excellence” and (b) with the University of Chicago for an endowment to establish “The Indian Ministry of Culture Vivekananda Chair.”  
                         
                                     Chicago has a special place in Swami Vivekananda’s life where he had delivered his memorable address to the World Parliament of Religions in 1893.Swami Vivekananda’s famous lecture at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11th September,1893 was a shining moment in India’s cultural history. Considering that an Agreement for creation of “The Indian Ministry of Culture Vivekananda Chair” is  likely to be signed during the visit of the Union Finance Minister.  In consideration of a grant of US$ 1.5 million for creation of an endowment, the University of Chicago will establish “The Indian Ministry of Culture Vivekananda Chair” to honour the life and legacy of Swami Vivekananda by promoting fields of study most relevant to his teachings. University of Chicago will give wide publicity to the establishment of the said “The Indian Ministry of Culture Vivekananda Chair” as part of commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and such publicity will also be displayed prominently in the University. The University will also display the title of the Chair in all appropriate materials, print and electronic media wherever such Chairs are promoted and publicized.  The University of Chicago will also facilitate exchange of research scholars from/ to India between both the parties i.e. University of Chicago and Government of India.
 
                                  The Union Finance Minister would also unveil on 28th January,2012  an enhanced (engraved bas relief) Vivekananda Memorial Plaque, with Swami Vivekananda’s embossed image on it.  It will be installed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Museum to commemorate Swamiji’s historic Chicago Address before the World Parliament of Religions on 11th September 1893 .
 
                                An agreement will also be signed during the aforesaid visit of the Union  Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee for Vivekananda Memorial Programme for Museum Excellence.  Under this programme, Art Institute of Chicago will work with Government of India to impart a broad range of knowledge on modern operations of Museums like conservation, planning of exhibitions etc. for a four year period.  Government of India will provide an amount of US$500,000 for conduct of this programme by the Art Institute of Chicago.
 
                                                Under the Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Guru Rabindranath Tagore, apart from several other activities, for the first time ever, several exhibitions of Tagore’s paintings are being organised in USA, France, Germany, UK, Singapore, Japan and South Korea by the National Gallery of Modern Art under Ministry of Culture in association with Visva Bharati University.  The exhibition which would be inaugurated by the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Chicago on 28th January, 2012 at the Art Institute of Chicago, is part of this series of exhibitions. It will put on display 61 of Tagore’s paintings. 

The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee would return to Delhi on Monday,30th January,2012