No Hillary, still Obama's delegation packs a punch

Several members of the Barack Obama cabinet would accompany the United States president to India when he travels to Mumbai and New Delhi next week, even though in a break from tradition the secretary of state would not join him, the White House said on Thursday.

Obama would be travelling to India from November 6 to 9, during which he would visit Mumbai and New Delhi and hold a series of public and official meetings.

Prominent among those accompanying the US president would include Tom Donilon, the new national security advisor; the commerce secretary, Gary Locke; the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack; and Raj Shah, administrator of USAID.

Shah is the highest-ranking Indian American in the Obama administration.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to be there for a part of the trip.

There would be no official business delegation travelling with the US president. However, a number of key American CEOs would travel to India on their own, and he would hold meetings with them in Mumbai.