India gets cracking on agreements

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to set up a separate group to concretise the 24 areas earmarked for cooperation between India and the US.

Ahluwalia announced this at the Indo-US Economic Cooperation conference held here today.

Agriculture and food processing, energy, science and technology, intellectual property rights, manufacturing, information and communication technology, space and defence and the financial sector and health care, are among the areas earmarked for potential bilateral cooperation.

The group, in collaboration with ministries, will adopt an action-oriented approach and go back to the prime minister in three to four months with recommendations.

A road map will be evolved to fit in the recommendations. "The aim is to engage the US in as many areas of the economy as possible," Ahluwalia added.