New Delhi: A high-level delegation from the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), led by Edward Knight, Executive Vice Chairman, met with Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at North Block to discuss potential areas of collaboration between the two nations.
The USIBC represents leading global companies operating in the United States and India, fostering connections between businesses and governments. The council, which has around 200 member companies—70% from the U.S. and 30% from India—has offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and is headquartered in Washington D.C. It is also a part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and other key departments, highlighted the favorable environment for cooperation between India and the U.S. under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He emphasized potential strides in quantum technology, artificial intelligence, critical metals, and semiconductors.
Recalling Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the U.S., Dr. Singh noted the joint statement on deploying greenfield renewable energy, battery storage, and emerging green technology projects in India. He expressed optimism about integrating India’s AI initiatives with the AI task force developed by USIBC and mentioned ongoing work on large language models by the Department of Science and Technology, aligning with USIBC’s task force.
Dr. Singh shared that India is now at the forefront of next-generation technologies and spoke about the Anusandhan NRF, modeled after the U.S. National Research Foundation. He also highlighted two upcoming milestones: an Indian reaching the deep sea and another reaching space within the next year.
The Minister emphasized the empowerment of India’s science and technology sector under PM Modi, noting integration with academia, industry, and startups, and opportunities in electric vehicles and battery technologies. He mentioned the biotech industry’s growth to $140 billion with over 4,000 companies, and the successful NISAR mission, a collaboration between NASA and ISRO.
Discussing civil services reforms, Dr. Singh pointed out that 90% of government work is now online and stressed the importance of a small government with citizen-centric governance. He proposed potential collaboration between India and the U.S. in civil services reforms through exchange programs and capacity building.
Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, highlighted India’s role in the Quantum Coordination Committee with industry and academia. Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of Biotechnology, discussed Indo-U.S. cooperation in vaccine development and biotechnology. Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG of CSIR, mentioned three dedicated labs for metals, metallurgy, and mines, and opportunities for collaboration with the U.S., including interest in India’s steel slag road technology.
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