New Delhi, May 8
US envoy Richard Verma said one year of the Narendra Modi government has infused a \"renewed\" sense of optimism and excitement among US businesses.

\"I do think there is a renewed sense of optimism and excitement about the US-Indian relationship. I feel not only with US businesses but I feel it as I travel around India as well. I think we are in a very strong position,\" Verma said on Modi\'s nearly year-old government in an interview on news channel CNN-IBN.

Verma noted that the US and India \"benefited\" from the two high-level meetings between Modi and US President Barack Obama held within five-month period that, he said, was \"unusual\".

\"Last September, the PM (Modi) had a bit of ground-breaking visit to Washington, was able to unstick some issues that had frankly stalled the relationship and then the president (Obama) came (to India) in January,\" he said.

The two summits, he added, led to a handshake, an agreement between the governments to chart a \"very aggressive\" path forward, while defence, clean energy, economics and trade also stirred up \"a lot of exciting pathways\" for the US and India.

Asked about the civil nuclear deal between India and the US, Verma said the two governments had \"significantly\" moved forward since January, leaving it for the private companies to sit with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd to push the momentum forward sans official intervention.

He however, added that a timeline could not be fixed for such a \"complex\" issue.

\"We would like to continue seeing progress, we have seen progress and this is one of the top priorities because... this is about helping provide non-carbon based source of power to 300 million people that can provide access to electricity,\" he said.

Let\'s discuss Greenpeace, Ford Foundation: US envoy

US envoy Richard Verma on Friday called for a dialogue with the Narendra Modi government to discuss the recent clampdown on Greenpeace India and the Ford Foundation.

\"I think we should (have a dialogue). It is for Indian officials to raise their concerns and I certainly am raising my concerns with them,\" Verma told news channel CNN-IBN in an interview.

The government in April suspended NGO Greenpeace India\'s license and froze its accounts on the charge of working against the economic interest of the country. The Ford Foundation was also put on a watchlist for giving funds to activist Teesta Setalvad\'s organisations premised on the contention that the money was used in anti-national activities.

Following the two successive crackdowns, the US sought a clarification from New Delhi for limiting \"a necessary and critical debate within Indian society\".

Asked about his earlier comment of potential \"chilling effect\" that India could face due to its action curbing activism in the country, Verma sought to explain that he spoke in a \"spirit of partnership, friendship\" between the two countries that have common political values, including their belief in civil society.

Taking little notice of union minister Kiren Rijiju\'s observation on Verma\'s remark, the US envoy said that the bilateral relations between the two countries were \"strong\" at this point.

\"We have had discussions on civil nuclear, defense co-production, intellectual property, WTO. We were only stuck on those issues that we were not talking about. We can and must have a conversation about this,\" he added.

Rijiju on Thursday had said, \"one should not overreact on a subject where government has not gone out of (the) provisions of law\".

US businesses have renewed optimism about India: US envoy