America
'Shared Progress - Effort for all: Embassy of India-CII event on Capitol Hill
The Embassy of India and the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) jointly organized "India-US Partnership: Shared
Effort-Progress for All," a luncheon discussion, on 26 February 2015 in
Washington D.C. Bringing together key stakeholders on Capitol Hill, the session
focused on the sea change in the U.S.-India relationship, particularly given
President Obama's recent substantive visit to India, and the shared path
forward between the two countries.
In his opening remarks, Congressman George Holding (R-NC), Co-Chair,
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans lauded the tremendous
progress made in advancing the US-India partnership and highlighted the
important role that Indian companies are playing through their significant
investment and creation of jobs in the U.S. - a lesser-known but equally
critical side of the India-U.S. bilateral partnership.
Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA), Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian Americans, and the only Indian American in Congress, reflected on his
recent trip to India with President Obama. Bera reiterated the strategic values
and compatibility that India
and the U.S.
share, remarking that in the last eight months the conversation surrounding the
relationship has grown to one of optimism and endless opportunities. “To take
advantage of the momentum and move forward especially in our economic
partnership,†Bera said, “we need to harness the energy and success of
the Indian American community and recognize the increasing significance of investments
by Indian companies in the U.S.â€
Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Charge d'Affaires, Embassy of India, relayed
the primary deliverables of President Obama's visit to India, commenting that the "relations
between India and the U.S. have never
been as strong." Our long standing strategic relationship has been
upgraded with Delhi Declaration of Friendship committing both nations to
elevate the Strategic Dialogue to a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue to
advance mutual prosperity. Reiterating Prime Minister Modi's commitment to be
open for business and deepen ties with the U.S.,
Ambassador Sandhu discussed the positive developments between India and the U.S. in sectors such as defense,
renewable energy and education. He also noted the significant contribution of
Indian and US companies to advancing this relationship.
Mr. Vivek Sharma, Chairman, CII-India Business Forum and CEO, Piramal
Healthcare Ltd, speaking on behalf of Indian industry, welcomed the change in
tone and tenor of the India-U.S. relationship from just last year. Stating that
President Obama's visit to India "marks an inflection point in the
US-India bilateral strategic relationship," Mr. Sharma underscored some of
the challenges being faced by Indian companies in the United States, including
the lapsing of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), market access
barriers in the pharmaceutical and financial services sectors as well as issues
related to the mobility of high skilled labor.
The session was the first interaction organized under the aegis of the House
India Caucus and helped highlight the vast progress that has been made as well
as the momentous scope for even greater cooperation between India and the U.S.