Bangalore, India – One of the leading bilateral forums here hosted a visiting US Congressional Delegation including Committee Chairman and Members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Mukesh Aghi, the President of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) hosted a dinner reception for Congressional Delegation, led by the Committee’s Chairman, Republican Congressman Lamar Smith from Texas.
President Aghi thanked Chairman Smith for leading the delegation to India to create a dialogue in the science and technology sphere with the potential to increase jobs exponentially. Aghi said that “the US and Indian governments, along with business stakeholders, should work cohesively to further the objectives of the committee.”
Chairman Lamar Smith stated: “India is a nation with which we share many priorities. During our time in India, we will meet with the nation’s leaders to discuss opportunities for continuing partnerships on cybersecurity initiatives, STEM education, technological innovations, and advancements in space.”
Noting that the Science Committee, which he chairs, has “broad jurisdiction over federally funded civilian research and development programs that encompass these issues,” Smith said, “I look forward to exchanging ideas about these priorities with our Indian partners.”
The lead Democrat on the Delegation is Congressman Ami Bera from California, a strong supporter of the US-India bilateral relationship and the longest-serving Indian American Member of Congress. Other members of the delegation include Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Rep. Mo Brooks, Rep. Thomas Massie, Rep. Brian Babin, Rep. Barbara Comstock, Rep. Mark Sanford and Rep. Darren Soto.
The US lawmakers delegation is visiting Bangalore and New Delhi to explore areas of collaboration in science and technology between the United States and India. The purpose of this trip is to spark a dialogue between the US Congress and stakeholders in both the government and private sector in India, according to a release from the USISPF.
With Bangalore serving as India’s science and technology hub, the city presented an opportunity for the delegation to engage with local government and private stakeholders to explore potential areas where the US government could collaborate on policy proposals and investment initiatives. The committee was also interested in discussing issues that affect US companies with a presence in India.
USISPF was launched in August by its Chairman, John Chambers, Chairman of Cisco, and other senior executives including: Chairmen Punit Renjen (Global CEO, Deloitte LLP) and Edward Monser (President, Emerson Electric), and Board Members Indra Nooyi (Chairwoman & CEO, PepsiCo), Ajay Banga (President & CEO, MasterCard), Susan Esserman (partner, Steptoe & Johnson), former Secretary of Defense William Cohen (Chairman & CEO, The Cohen Group), Purna Saggurti (Chairman of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch), and Ambassador Frank Wisner (International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs).
Tejinder Singh, Editor, India America Today & White House Correspondent