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".
