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Estimating that “80 per cent of the India of 2030 is yet to be built”, the United States is eyeing massive business opportunities for American companies in terms of building new airports, railway networks and fibreoptics networks as well as partnerships in key sectors including defence and education.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said in an interview to a Wharton publication that with the US having taken some premier Indian establishments, including DRDO, off its entities list, the decks have been cleared for close collaboration.
“I do see a lot of opportunities, and of course as American companies compete and hopefully win big contracts like the medium multi-role combat aircraft contract, there will be quite significant offset requirements that result from that, so they will be looking for investments,” Blake told Knowledge@Wharton.
He also foresaw “tremendous new start-up opportunities that will come about as a result of the new educational partnerships that we’re going to seek to establish”.
Referring to the large flow of Indian students to American universities, he spoke of “a tremendous fertile ground for new projects and new ways of thinking that we’re seeing in the United States and we’re beginning to see in India as well”.
In the energy sector, he focused on the US help to India in the area of developing shale gas. “In our case we found such significant quantities that we’ve actually dramatically reduced our imports of gas. I think the same can probably be the case for India,” he said, adding US Geological Survey and other experts are working with Indian experts.
Blake, however, felt that the tragic events in Japan could cast a shadow in terms of slowing down India’s push for nuclear power. “There have been demonstrations in several of the nuclear plants, and I know that the Lok Sabha and others will be looking closely at this issue,” he said, noting: “I think there probably realistically will be a little bit of a slowdown, but I agree with what the Prime Minister said, that this is still very much in India’s interest to proceed with these projects and it is likely to do so.”
He, however, was optimistic that the India-US nuclear deal remains on track, with the two governments having done almost all that needs to be done to allow companies to make their decisions. India has also signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation and is committed to ratifying it within a year from November, he said.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said in an interview to a Wharton publication that with the US having taken some premier Indian establishments, including DRDO, off its entities list, the decks have been cleared for close collaboration.
“I do see a lot of opportunities, and of course as American companies compete and hopefully win big contracts like the medium multi-role combat aircraft contract, there will be quite significant offset requirements that result from that, so they will be looking for investments,” Blake told Knowledge@Wharton.
He also foresaw “tremendous new start-up opportunities that will come about as a result of the new educational partnerships that we’re going to seek to establish”.
Referring to the large flow of Indian students to American universities, he spoke of “a tremendous fertile ground for new projects and new ways of thinking that we’re seeing in the United States and we’re beginning to see in India as well”.
In the energy sector, he focused on the US help to India in the area of developing shale gas. “In our case we found such significant quantities that we’ve actually dramatically reduced our imports of gas. I think the same can probably be the case for India,” he said, adding US Geological Survey and other experts are working with Indian experts.
Blake, however, felt that the tragic events in Japan could cast a shadow in terms of slowing down India’s push for nuclear power. “There have been demonstrations in several of the nuclear plants, and I know that the Lok Sabha and others will be looking closely at this issue,” he said, noting: “I think there probably realistically will be a little bit of a slowdown, but I agree with what the Prime Minister said, that this is still very much in India’s interest to proceed with these projects and it is likely to do so.”
He, however, was optimistic that the India-US nuclear deal remains on track, with the two governments having done almost all that needs to be done to allow companies to make their decisions. India has also signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation and is committed to ratifying it within a year from November, he said.
