Businessmen explore outsourcing

US Counsel General Micheal Owen visited Rajkot Chamber of Commerce & Industries (RCCI) as scheduled on Tuesday and interacted with the business fraternity of Rajkot, mainly from the perspective of exploring the manufacturing outsourcing opportunities with Rajkot and thus strengthening the Indo-US bilateral trade relationship.

After going through a detailed presentation letting Owen experience the business potential of Saurashtra-Kutch region and city of Rajkot, in his address Owen by and large focussed on issues pertaining to the Indo-US Bilateral relationship covering the areas of Indo-US Joint Defence drills staged recently, Visa relaxation norms, strengthening future Trade Opportunities etc.

Owen said, "In a recent visit of US delegation which met the Indian Counterparts, it was agreed to boost the merchandise trade from US Dollars 20 Billion annual turnover as registered in 2005 to US Dollars 40 Billion by 2008, recent statistics reveal that we are likely to touch US Dollars 30 Billion mark in year 2006, which is very significant development in this direction equating strength-to-strength bilateral trade relations of both the nations."

In context of Indo-US trade relationship, we are even focussed to strengthen the trade relations in areas of Agriculture and as a result, frequent visits of delegations from Agriculture sector, information exchange programmes are linked to concrete this tie-up in this direction and reap the joint benefits, added Owen.

Specifically addressing the Visa norms as relaxed by US Government recently, Owen said, "Our figures reveal that 1,30,000 visas are issued annually in India out of which 70,000 visas are issued to the people of Gujarat origin. So we very well understand the strength of Gujarat in this area too, as it claims over 50 per cent share, recently relaxed Visa norms would by and large benefit Gujaratis, as the delivery process is made pretty fast as compared earlier."

With new facility of US Consulate likely to be functional by 2008 near Airport in Mumbai, Owen assured that people will not have to even wait in queues for Visa as they do presently and said, "We are going to have a centrally air-conditioned hall which can accommodate 950 applicants at a time and may be we will be able to process their Visa applications within a stipulated time-period of 2-3 days."

Representatives from Diesel Engine, Machine Tools, Packed Foods, International Trade (Exports) verticals requested Owen to provide business interactive trade platform to explore outsourcing business opportunities with US companies.

Responding to the requests made by representatives, Owen assured of making it sure to address the strengths of Rajkot to the US trade delegation scheduled to visit India for two days on November 29 and November 30, this year and do the needful as desired by them.

Hitesh Bagdai, RCCI President also requested Owen to work in a positive areas of information exchange by facilitating the region of Saurashtra-Kutch with the nodal presence of US Consulate.