IT industry will be talking E1 and H1B visas with Clinton team

“Nowadays being an Indian in this sector can only add premium to one’s value,” he said. He recalled how a person is taken very seriously in the US if he happens to have even an Indian-sounding name. “Before we would see people anglicising their Indian names, and how it is a reverse of that,” he said.

According to him, the IT exports are expected to go up by 60 per cent in the coming year. At present the total trade is estimated to be at around 5.25 billion dollars.

At the reception in Hyderabad, prominent professionals like Infosys’ Narayana Murthy, Ramalingam Raju of Satyam Infoway and Kanwal Rekhi of TiE are expected to be present. The discussions will range around a totalisation agreement between the two countries, and the grant of E1 visas to Indians.

The E1 visas are given to other countries like China and Philippines, and Indians are also hoping to get the agreement. The totalisation agreement will allow Indians and Americans working in both countries to avoid paying double taxes. They also hope to have a discussion on the increase of the global cap in the granting of H1B visas to 1,95,000 per year.

On the presentations planned in Hyderabad, Mehta said that,“ Clinton should get a first hand feel of high-tech India.”

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has decided to call for an all-party meeting on March 16 to discuss the ensuing visit of US President Bill Clinton to the city on March 24.

Naidu announced this at the State Cabinet meeting here Wednesday evening. He said that the government was going to take the leaders of the Opposition parties into confidence on the Presidential visit, sources said. The leaders would be briefed on the details of Clinton’s programme in the city.

Meanwhile, a White House advance team led by Nicholas Friendly called onChief Secretary V Ananda Rau and discussed the details of the President’sschedule.

According to sources, the State government officials asked the US team toextend the President’s programme in the city by two hours, so that he can see more of the city and its rich cultural heritage.

The external affairs ministry had earlier informed the State government that Clinton would be spending three hours in the city.

The White House team members are understood to have agreed to consider theState’s request to extend the President’s stay to a total five hours.