Maharashtra failed to lobby for US investments, says US trade team

MUMBAI, MARCH 25: Maharashtra has not been able to effectively lobby for attracting major investments from the US depite being the commerc...

MUMBAI, MARCH 25: Maharashtra has not been able to effectively lobby for attracting major investments from the US depite being the commercial capital of India, said Narayan D Keshavan, special assistant, Congressional caucus on India and Indian Americans.

Addressing a press conference organised by NRI delegation accompanying American President Bill Clinton to India, Keshavan said only Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh reach out to the US. Other states in India including Maharashtra are not making any efforts.

"There is a lot of hype about Andhra Pradesh and an attempt should be made to evaluate the real woth of its accomplishments in the field of IT. The success of AP lies in the effective campaign made by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu in the US," Keshavan added.

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The Indian community in the US is pitching for an increase in the visa quotas in the wake of the recent spurt in the business between two countries. Since this is an election year in the US, it is very difficult to push through legislations, Keshavan added.

"India will stand to gain more from the visit since its image is still that of a Third World country in the US. Though politically the two countries will differ, economic and cultural aspects will get a major boost," he added.

Post-Pokhran, no Indian politician or administrator was welcome in the US. It is the Indian community’s consistent efforts that made President Bill Clinton’s visit possible, Keshavan claimed.

India is considered as a major investment destination for the US companies due to the succsessful lobbying by the Indian community in America. Moreover, China’s busines relationship with the US started worsening giving India an edge, said Sudhir M Parikh, who is also a member of the visiting US delegation.

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"The investment momentum will improve further in the coming years since India is a huge market," he added. Business relationship between India and the US should not necessarily be confined to the IT sector alone and there were other sectors where they can work together, he added.

Top officials of the Maharashtra government are meeting the NRI delegates on Monday to discuss the possibility of investments in the IT sector, said Sampat, S Shivangi, another member of the delegation.

The visit of President Clinton has strengthened the relationship between the two countries and it is evident from the number of agreements signed, he added.