Jaishankar to bat for Indian companies in US
NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary S Jaishankar is likely to highlight the contribution of Indian companies and professionals to American economy in his talks later this week with officials in Washington, DC, where he is expected to take up the issue of hate crime and the proposed changes in visa rules.
Indian technology companies paid more than $20 billion as taxes and $7 billion towards social security contributions in the past four years, impacting more than 1,20,000 American lives through corporate social responsibility contributions, people aware of the matter said. Hate crime and the proposed changes in visa rules can potentially hurt American economy, they said.
Members of the Indian American community told ET from the US that fear is growing among sections of the community since the shooting incident in a Kansas city bar, which left an Indian engineer dead.
More than 15% of international students in the US hail from India. That makes India the second largest contributor to the US educational institutions, both public and private.
In 2016 alone, India sent more than 1,65,918 students to the US campuses. And these students contributed $5.01 billion to the US economy, according to the US Department of Commerce.
Further, every 100 H-1B visas have resulted in support of 183 jobs in the US. Between 2011 and 2015, 4 lakh jobs were directly or indirectly supported by Indian technology companies in the US, recording a 10% annual growth, they said.
India’s envoy to the US, Navtej Sarna, has already flagged the country’s concerns during his recent interactions with the State Department.
Last week, PM Modi held a discussion on the future of Indian professionals in the US with a delegation of US Congressmen. Jaishankar is likely to meet the acting deputy secretary of state, Tom Shannon, and other officials to set the course for India’s engagement with the Trump administration and prepare for Modi’s visit to the US towards the middle of this year.
This will be Jaishankar’s third visit to the US since November 8, 2016 election results and the first since January 20 presidential inauguration. It comes in the backdrop of his comments that President Donald Trump needs to be analysed instead of being demonised.
India is keeping a close watch not only on the prospective executive order of the Trump administration on restricting entry of immigrants into the US but also the legislative moves in American Congress to bring in protectionist measures.
A bill sponsored by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa is now under review of American House of Representatives. Meanwhile, prominent Indian-American businessman Shalabh Kumar, who is in the running to become the next US envoy to India, told ETover phone from New York that the perpetrator of the Kansas attack must be handed the highest level of punishment if found guilty.
Indian technology companies paid more than $20 billion as taxes and $7 billion towards social security contributions in the past four years, impacting more than 1,20,000 American lives through corporate social responsibility contributions, people aware of the matter said. Hate crime and the proposed changes in visa rules can potentially hurt American economy, they said.
Members of the Indian American community told ET from the US that fear is growing among sections of the community since the shooting incident in a Kansas city bar, which left an Indian engineer dead.
More than 15% of international students in the US hail from India. That makes India the second largest contributor to the US educational institutions, both public and private.
In 2016 alone, India sent more than 1,65,918 students to the US campuses. And these students contributed $5.01 billion to the US economy, according to the US Department of Commerce.
Further, every 100 H-1B visas have resulted in support of 183 jobs in the US. Between 2011 and 2015, 4 lakh jobs were directly or indirectly supported by Indian technology companies in the US, recording a 10% annual growth, they said.
India’s envoy to the US, Navtej Sarna, has already flagged the country’s concerns during his recent interactions with the State Department.
Last week, PM Modi held a discussion on the future of Indian professionals in the US with a delegation of US Congressmen. Jaishankar is likely to meet the acting deputy secretary of state, Tom Shannon, and other officials to set the course for India’s engagement with the Trump administration and prepare for Modi’s visit to the US towards the middle of this year.
This will be Jaishankar’s third visit to the US since November 8, 2016 election results and the first since January 20 presidential inauguration. It comes in the backdrop of his comments that President Donald Trump needs to be analysed instead of being demonised.
India is keeping a close watch not only on the prospective executive order of the Trump administration on restricting entry of immigrants into the US but also the legislative moves in American Congress to bring in protectionist measures.
A bill sponsored by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa is now under review of American House of Representatives. Meanwhile, prominent Indian-American businessman Shalabh Kumar, who is in the running to become the next US envoy to India, told ETover phone from New York that the perpetrator of the Kansas attack must be handed the highest level of punishment if found guilty.
