During a meeting with the British Foreign Secretary some time back, Gandhi was said to have apprised him of the initiatives taken by him in his parliamentary constituency. Miliband, who had had a stint as Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before he moved to the Foreign Office, had expressed his desire to see those initiatives, according to Congress sources.

“Both leaders are young. They met several times at different international venues in the past two years and have struck up a good rapport,” said a senior Congress leader.

One of the schemes Gandhi will showcase to the visiting Foreign Secretary is the introduction of cooperatives in the dairy sector that led to its revival in this region.