India-America relations going through momentous phase, says Indian envoy to the US

Washington: With two back-to-back heads of the State visit in less than a year after the formation of the new government, it is a “very momentous” phase of India-US relationship, top Indian envoy to the United States has said. [caption id=“attachment_2232110” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Indian envoy to the US said that India-US ties were going through a momentous phase. IBNLive[/caption] “We are in a very momentous phase of our relationship. India is moving quickly on its commitment to reform, throwing up tremendous opportunities for working together,” the new Indian Ambassador to the US, Arun Kumar Singh, told members of the US India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington on Wednesday. Selecting the American business community for his first major public interaction after arriving in the US capital, the new Indian Ambassador exuded confidence that the US business and industry will continue to seize the potential. “Our cooperation will reinforce our strategic ties in a long-term framework,” he said. Singh was welcomed by USIBC chairman Ajay Banga and president Mukesh Aghi at the reception hosted in his honour. The past year has been transformational in many ways. It was exactly a year ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the reins of a new government, riding on an unprecedented mandate for development and reform, Singh said. Since then, the government has pushed forward with the reform agenda at a remarkable speed, focusing on infrastructure development, manufacturing, technological advancement, skills development and financial inclusion, through new and innovative programmes like Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities and the Jan Dhan Yojana, he said. “Behind all these initiatives lies the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global manufacturing hub, with state of the art infrastructure and a skilled workforce,” he said. He wants to transform India into a digitally empowered society with universal internet connectivity, digital identity, mobile phone banking and e-services. He wants India to take its rightful place as a fast growing economy, tapping the huge potential of its young population, Singh told the US business community. Noting that to realise this vision, foreign investments and transfer of technology would be important components, Singh said India needs a business environment that fosters innovation and encourages investment. “This recognition has led the government to introduce several reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business in and with India. Procedures have been simplified, including creating a single window for a number of services. A high level committee is working to recommend a simpler mechanism to start a business in India,” he said. Singh said positive developments at home have been accompanied by a fresh momentum in India-US relationship, thanks to two highly successful summits between Prime Minister Modi and President Barack Obama, which have helped in resolving some long-pending issues and identifying new areas of cooperation. “The Delhi Declaration of Friendship, has upgraded the bilateral strategic dialogue to a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, reflecting the importance we attach to strengthening our commercial ties. Both sides have also committed to enhance bilateral trade to USD 500 billion and work towards a Bilateral Investment Treaty,” he said. In his remarks, Singh acknowledged that given extensive business ties, there are bound to be some issues of concern to the industry on both sides. “Fortunately, we have developed sufficient bilateral mechanisms to address such concerns in a constructive and cooperative spirit,” he said. The USIBC can play an important role in this context by being a proactive voice for the industry on both sides, he added. PTI