New Delhi, Apr 3 : A car rally promoting goodwill and brotherhood amongst the member nations of a South Asian grouping has received a warm welcome in New Delhi.

The timed arrival of the participants coincided with the14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, which begins today.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit felicitated the participants.

Participants said that the rally would help in unifying the people of the region.

"We started our journey in Bangladesh, then we went to Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan. Now, we are in India. Next, we will go to Sri Lanka and end our rally at Maldives. The end will be at Maldives," said Priya Lovely Dias, a participant.

The participants were royally treated with the mesmerising numbers of singer Kailash Kher.

The rally was flagged off from Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh on March 15 and will traverse over 8,000 kilometres spread across seven South Asian nations, forming part of the eight-nation SAARC during its 31-day sojourn.

Eminent people from the SAARC countries, including academicians, government officials, thespians and writers are taking part in the rally. Out of 102 participants, 52 are from India.

The rally is part of the 'Green South Asia 2007' programme and has been organised jointly by Indian Foreign Ministry, the SAARC Secretariat and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had mooted the idea of the rally during the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka in November 2005 to improve transport infrastructure between SAARC countries, symbolising regional identity.