India and US to witness deeper collaborations and partnerships: Panel

Former U.S.Ambassador to India Frank Wisner and International Affairs Advisor for Patton Boggs on Friday, emphasized that President Obama's upcoming visit would one of the defining moments in Indo-US bilateral relations both politically and economically.

He was speaking at The Partnership Summit 2015 which is being organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India and the Government of Rajasthan in Jaipur.

Ambassador Wisner felt that defense production and trade was a potential area of cooperation for the two countries. India's position in trade alliances like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Pacific Alliance (PA) would also help in forging Indo-US ties, he said.

Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plea to Indian diaspora worldwide to come back and contribute to India's development, Mr Naushad Forbes, Vice President, CII said that maybe NRIs would not have considered this option fruitful some years ago, but today India presents a transformed environment for professionals especially in the IT and Education sectors. Tapping diaspora is a matter of opportunity and perspective and today's India possesses it in leaps and bounds, he added.

Krish Iyer, President and CEO, Walmart India, pointed out that for facilitating an enabling economic environment for investors, the role of States and their relationship with the Centre is significant and he was heartened by the initiatives of the current government like new de-licencing and deregulation measures to create a win-win situation for both countries.

Trade has a new dimension now with the resurgence of the US economy and the upcoming high-powered CEO's delegations between India and US, remarked Ambassador S K Lambah, Former Special Envoy to the PM and Co-chair, US India Strategic dialogue. He also expressed enthusiasm while informing that there is a positive movement on civil nuclear programme, defense trade, cyber security, clean energy and sustainable practices.

Earlier in her welcome remarks, Shobana Kamineni, Chairperson, CII National Committee on Public Health and Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals stated that US-India trade stands at an impressive figure and there are a lot of Indian companies who have invested and are operating in various industries in the US and vice-versa. The Indian government's focus with the aim of making India a manufacturing hub holds great promise for deeper collaborations and partnerships with the U.S.