The 30th Annual General Meeting of AMCHAM India was held virtually on April 21st-22nd themed ‘Ease of Doing Business 2.0: Accelerating Transformation for India @100: U.S.-India Partnership.’ AMCHAM’s AGM was a two-day virtual conference included 13 sectoral sessions and covered 11 states. The AGM was graced by over 30 speakers from the Government of India, over 80 industry speakers and 7 U.S. government officials sharing their thoughts and views. Over 920 AMCHAM members and special invitees participated. The inaugural session began with Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM welcoming the Raksha Mantri and all speakers. Mr. Salil Gupte, Chairman, AMCHAM and President, Boeing India gave opening remarks. Mr. Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri, Government of India delivered the inaugural address. The Minister recognized that the defense pillar of the U.S.-India relationship was very strong and built on foundational bilateral agreements, joint exercises, major defense capabilities delivered over the last decade. Also, he acknowledged that U.S. companies have expanded their local presence in partnership with Indian companies producing in India for India and for the world. Defence supplies from the U.S. have exceeded $20 billion in the last decade and on an upward trajectory. The Minister reaffirmed that the 2 nations were committed to continued cooperation to strengthen global health security, global food security, and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. Mr. William Blair, National Executive Board Member and Chairman – Defense Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, thanked the Minister.

Honorary President of AMCHAM, Ms. Patricia A. Lacina, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, in her special address highlighted the successes and opportunities in the U.S.-India relationship. Through pre-recorded video messages, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Co-Chair Senate India Caucus and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Co-Chair Senate India Caucus shared about the work of the Senate India Caucus, ways to collaborate and deepen the U.S.-India partnership. Mr. Atul Dhawan, Honorary Secretary & Treasurer, AMCHAM and Chairperson, Deloitte India, gave closing remarks and thanked the eminent speakers. AMCHAM’s 2022 CSR photo exhibition Together for Good displaying the CSR activities of 105 member companies was officially released.

• Inaugural Keynote Session

Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution & Minister of Textiles, Government of India delivered the inaugural keynote address. He mentioned that AMCHAM has been a critical link in promoting the U.S.-India relationship. He lauded the relationship as it stands today and expressed confidence that the association between the nations will only grow stronger in years to come. He called upon U.S. industry to get involves in skill development and its enhancement in India and support moving towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat since India has opened its doors to associating with global technology in the interest of the country and consumers both domestic and globally. He asserted that Indian policies now offer similar opportunities to both Indian and foreign companies without differentiation as the best in global standards is what India seeks. Towards this, he highlighted incremental changes were taking place in ease of doing business, tax reforms, reduction in compliance burden, etc.

Mr. Ajay Mehra, Non-Executive Chairman, KPMG in India presented the knowledge paper Ease of Doing Business 2.0: Accelerating Transformation for India @100 created by AMCHAM and knowledge partner KPMG in India, which was released during the session by Minister Piyush Goyal. The knowledge paper highlighted how the U.S. and India have had a natural, trusted, and strengthening partnership which is now well-positioned to support India’s Amrit Kaal vision and aspirations. Minister Goyal interacted with industry leaders Ms. Kaku Nakhate, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and President & Country Head India, Bank of America, N.A, Mr. Sanjay Koul, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and Chairman & Managing Director, Timken India, Mr. Prakash Bodla, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Managing Director & Vice President – Engineering, Carrier Technologies, Dr. Ravi Bhatkal, National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM and Managing Director, India, Cookson India Private Limited, Element Solutions, Inc., Mr. Manoj Madhavan, Co-Chairman – Medical Devices Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Boston Scientific, India Hub.

• Cyber Security is Critical to Technology Resilience

Mr. Amrit Singh Deo, Chairman – Cyber Security Committee, AMCHAM and Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, welcomed all speakers and gave opening remarks. In his special address Mr. Narendra Nath Gangavarapu, Joint Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India, highlighted the necessity of capacity and skill building, critical infrastructure protection, supply chain security, cyber diplomacy, etc., in cyber space. The industry panel speakers included which included Mr. Bikram Bedi, National Executive Board Members, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Google Cloud India, Mr. Ripu Bajwa, Co-Chairman – Cyber Security Committee, AMCHAM and Director & General Manager, Dell Technologies, Mr. Deepak Talwar, National Security Officer, Microsoft India and Mr. Sourav Chanda, Senior Director – Cyber Security, Providence India.

• Goal Net Zero Carbon by 2070

Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Program Director, AMCHAM, welcomed all the dignitaries to the session. This was followed by a video message from Dr. Amit Paithankar, Chairman – Energy Committee, AMCHAM and Vice President – Advanced Design Center & Managing Director – South Asia, Emerson. Mr. Tarun Kapoor, Chairman, Energy Transition Advisory Committee, Government of India delivered the keynote address and Ms. Julie Cerqueira, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy gave her special address through a pre-recorded video address. Mr. Chirag Baijal, Co-Chairman – Energy Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director – Commercial HVAC, India Region and Chairman of the Board, Carrier India also gave his remarks. An engaging panel discussion followed, moderated by Mr. Atanu Mukherjee, CEO & President, Dastur Energy Inc. & MN Dastur Co (P) Ltd. The eminent panel included Mr. Bargo Adibhatla, Director, ExxonMobil Services and Technology Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Brian Moran, Vice President, Global Sustainability Policy & Partnerships, The Boeing Company, Mr. Arun Jyoti, Vice President Corporate Affairs, John Crane (A Smiths Group Co.), Mr. Neeraj Sethi, Country Director, India & Bangladesh, Baker Hughes, Mr. Sangeet Jain, Country Head and Director, LanzaTech and Mr. Deepak Pargaonkar, VP Solution Engineering, Salesforce India. The panel deliberated on the net zero carbon roadmap in the context of the U.S.-India clean energy partnership

• Innovation and Regulation in MedTech

Mr. Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India gave the keynote address and Mr. N. Yuvraj, Joint Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India addressed the audience. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM gave welcome remarks along with industry speakers Ms. Meenakshi Nevatia, Chairperson – Medical Devices Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Stryker India, Mr. Manoj Madhavan, Co-Chairman – Medical Devices Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Boston Scientific, India Hub, Mr. Sanjay Bhutani, National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM and Managing Director – India & SAARC, Bausch & Lomb India, and Mr. Wee Yao Ng, Managing Director – India, Edwards Lifesciences. The discussion focussed on policy initiatives in the National Health Policy, improving the demand side of medical devices, R&D, stability and predictability in pricing and reimbursement policies and opportunity for local manufacturing. Industry leaders requested continued support from the government regarding the key parameters that govern the ability to operate in India, including a stable, transparent, fair, consistent pricing framework, and removal of barriers so that they can bring the best solutions to patients in India. The meeting concluded with closing remarks thanking Mr. Bhagwanth Khuba and Mr. N. Yuvraj for their valuable inputs and highlighted the initiatives to accelerate the U.S.-India partnership in the MedTech sector.

• Resolving Supply Chain Disruption Through Electronics Manufacturing

Wg Cdr Rajiv Anand, Program Director, AMCHAM welcomed panelists which included, Ms. Anubhuti Bhrany, Senior Director & Head Government Affairs, Flex India, Dr. Ravi Bhatkal, Vice Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter, AMCHAM and Managing Director, India, Cookson India Private Limited and Dr. Ashwini Aggarwal, Director – Government Affairs, Applied Materials India. They cited that India has the potential to emerge as a ‘reliable partner’ for the rest of the world in the coming future. India’s domestic production in electronics has increased from $29 billion in 2014-15 to $67 billion in 2020-21 and India’s share in the global electronic systems manufacturing industry has grown from 1.3% in 2012 to 3.6% in 2019.

• Redefining Skill Sets: Enhancing Core Competencies

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM gave welcome remarks. Mr. Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India and Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India gave special addresses. They shared various initiatives the government was undertaking to enhance the skilling ecosystem in India. They talked about focussing on skill sets to improve employability and increase labour productivity. The labour Secretary also spoke about the proposed labour code encompassing progressive elements. Industry discussion was moderated by Mr. Chaitanya Sreenivas, Chairman – HR Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Talent Officer, Kyndryl and panelists included Mr. Prakash Bodla, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Managing Director & Vice President – Engineering, Carrier Technologies, Mr. Liju Thomas, Director – HR, India Operations, Amazon, Mr. Nagaraj Krishnamurthy, HR Services Leader, Intuit India, Mr. William Sim, VP, Trailhead Academy, APAC, Salesforce and Dr. Kiranmai Dutt Pendyala, Head of Human Resources, Western Digital. The discussion focussed around the proposed labour code and its impact on ease of doing business and future of work. The panelists also discussed global capability centers (GCCs) and how it fits in the skilling ecosystem, digital skilling ecosystem and government requests to up-skill/cross-skill and innovative solutions adopted by companies across sectors.

• Technology – The Key Driver in Economic Growth

Ms. Sandya Rodrigues, Regional Director – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM, welcomed speakers Mr. K. Rajaraman, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, Mr. Som Satsangi, Chairman – ICT Committee, AMCHAM and SVP & Managing Director, India, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy, Co-Chairman – ICT Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Micron Technologies, Mr. Ashutosh Chadha, Director and Country Head, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Microsoft India, Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal, Director and Head of Public Policy, India, Meta. Mr. Som Satsangi delivered opening remarks and moderated the panel discussion, where deliberations were made on tech regulations, emerging technologies, innovations, interoperability, security, privacy, data control, data centric growth, deep tech, and much more.

• Medicine as an Inhibitor – Strengthening Public Health

Ms. Jyotsna Ghoshal, Co-Chairperson – Pharma Committee, AMCHAM and Executive Director, Enterprise Lead Government Affairs & Policy, Johnson & Johnson, India, gave welcome remarks. Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi delivered the keynote address and Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Senior Consultant (Health), NITI Aayog, Government of India delivered a special address. Industry speakers included Mr. Sampathkumar Chittibabu, Co-Chairman – Pharma Committee, AMCHAM and Whole Time Director & Vice President, Corporate Affairs India, Endo India Par Formulations and Mr. Sanjay Vyas, Executive Vice President, India Country Head & Managing Director & Global SBU Head – Clinical Trial Supplies & Logistics, Parexel International. Discussions revolved around ease of doing business, steps taken by the government, investment in public health and public health objectives that can only be achieved within a highly functioning and resilient health care system with effective primary care delivery. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Sampathkumar Chittibabu.

• Strengthening the Shared Vision in Defense

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM set the scene for the session and described how the U.S. and India have been natural partners in the very fast paced evolving defense partnership. Mr. Salil Gupte, Chairman, AMCHAM and President, Boeing India welcomed Dr. Ajay Kumar, Defense Secretary, Government of India and Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Dr. Kumar in his keynote address, touched briefly upon the recently concluded 2+2 ministerial dialogue and reiterated how the 2 nations should work together for taking the partnership further while offering the support and platform to AMCHAM members to have one-on-one engagements to seek how companies could move forward on the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) programs. Additional Secretary Jaju gave updates on the emerging vast opportunities for co-development and co-production and how U.S. companies could avail of the opportunity to partner more with the Indian companies. Industry panelists included Mr. William Blair, National Executive Board Member and Chairman – Defense Committee, AMCHAM and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, Ms. Ashmita Sethi, Chairperson – Aviation Committee, AMCHAM and President & Country Head Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies Corp India and Mr. Ravi Nirgudkar, Managing Director for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, BAE Systems. Panelists shared thoughts on opportunities, challenges and recommendations associated with self-reliant India and emphasized that U.S. companies were continuing to support the foundation of investment and collaboration with Indian industry.

• Smart Services for Urban Transformation

Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Program Director, welcomed all the dignitaries to the session. Mr. Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India delivered the keynote address and Mr. Sudhendu J. Sinha, Adviser, NITI Aayog gave the special address. Mr. Rajesh Dhar, Senior Director, Infrastructure and Hardware Growth, Hewlett Packard Enterprise thanked the government speakers for their vision and guidance. This was followed by an engaging panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Puneet Narang, Partner, Business Consulting, KPMG in India. The eminent panel included Mr. R.B. Santosh Kumar, Head, Government Engagement South Asia, Mastercard, Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Director, Country Manager – Sales, India & SAARC, Micron Technology India and Mr. Anoop Hemachandra, Asia Portfolio Manager, Transportation Safety Division, 3M. The panel deliberated on digitally enabled smart services and the efficient use of existing infrastructure in urban transformation.

• Transforming to Seamless Supply Chain: Digitization & Multimodal Connectivity

Mr. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India delivered the keynote address. He emphasized that development of infrastructure plays an important role in fulfilling India’s vision of becoming a $5 trillion economy. He stressed that a well-developed infrastructure enhances the level of economic activity and creates additional fiscal space by improving the revenue base of the government. He highlighted various projects and policies initiated by the government aimed towards enhancement of infra facilities. He made the point that India is open to adopt international codes, standards, specifications and guidelines for use of new material and technology in construction. He highlighted that growth in the relationship between India and the U.S. is on track and must continue to be so with a holistic approach in mutual interest of both countries. He then interacted on the session topic with industry leaders Ms. Kaku Nakhate, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and President & Country Head India, Bank Of America, N.A, Mr. Sanjay Koul, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and Chairman & Managing Director, Timken India Limited, Mr. Praveen Gosain, Chairman – Supply Chain and Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Director – Supply Chain, Corning Technologies India, and Mr. Neeraj Bansal, Co-Head & COO – India Global, KPMG in India.

Day 02

• Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0: Fast Track to the $Trillion Vision

The session commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM. This was followed by Mr. Sarthak Ranade, Chairman – Western Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director – Janssen India, Johnson & Johnson Pvt. Ltd. who delivered welcome remarks and set the stage for the discussion. Through his special address Mr. Sivasubramanian Ramann, IA&AS, Chairman & Managing Director, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) shared an overview of the role of SIDBI in supporting growing businesses. He touched upon the potential of U.S. investments supporting MSMEs and stated SIDBI’s commitment to the transformation of the country. The knowledge partner for the session, Mr. Bhavik Damodar, Chief Operating Officer – Advisory, Partner, Deal Advisory, India, KPMG in India highlighted the contribution of Maharashtra to India’s GDP. He highlighted the 4 key drivers of the state – resiliency, infrastructure, sustainability and enterprise innovation because of which the infrastructure, connectivity, agility, adoption of sustainability and advanced technology make Maharashtra a global hub for manufacturing and service. This was followed by an industry panel session moderated by Mr. Sarthak Ranade. The panel included Mr. Abhishek Vats, Managing Director – India Head, Corporate Banking – Subsidiaries, Bank of America, N.A., Mr. Amitava Sur, Managing Director, Portescap India and Mr. Charudatta Aradhye, Director R&D, APAC R&D, Boston Scientific. The panel shared their views on key differentiators that make Maharashtra an investment destination, how businesses have evolved post the pandemic, the need to diversify supply chains and the importance of encouraging innovation in the medical technology sector in India. The session concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Mr. Sarthak Ranade.

• Tamil Nadu – The Economic Powerhouse of India

Mr. Rajan Aiyer, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Chapter, AMCHAM and Vice President & Managing Director, Trimble India and SAARC welcomed guests and speakers and stressed on the industrial development in Tamil Nadu. Ms. Judith Ravin, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Chennai spoke about American companies doing business in Tamil Nadu and how the state was progressing with all round industrial development. Ms. Pooja Kulkarni, IAS, Managing Director & CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, Industries Department, Government of Tamil Nadu made a presentation on the development of Tamil Nadu. Quoting statistics, she mentioned how the state was focussed on aerospace, defense and renewable energy. She said that the state has a large, educated talent pool and that Tamil Nadu was first or second in the country on many measurable parameters. Dr. Ravi Bhaktal, National Executive Board Member, AMCHAM and Managing Director, India, Cookson India Private Limited moderated a panel discussion with Mr. Murali R., Director & Plant Manager, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited and Mr. Jerry Kapoor, Managing Director, Modine Thermal Systems Private Ltd. The panelists agreed that Tamil Nadu was one of the more prosperous and industrialized states in India with the government being pro-business. The discussion touched on how CSR can be used to build skill of engineers who would then be ready for industry, request for basic infrastructure to be developed in industrial areas and the need to bring a rail network to connect Sriperumbudur.

• Sustainable Aviation

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM opened up the session by welcoming Mr. Jyotiratidya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India and shared how aligned U.S. companies were with the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s vision to promote rapid growth of the sector, improve the ease of doing business, advance regional connectivity, and open flying opportunities to India’s largely untapped market of over 300 million middle-class citizens by enhancing affordability and connectivity. Minister Scindia, in his keynote address, shared countless opportunities where the U.S. aviation industry, who have already established themselves as strategic partners, could contribute more towards the Indian civil aviation sector. AMCHAM companies have been significant partners in the growth of the sector and are committed to bring the best technology and provide gainful employment at every level of operation. The panelists at this session included Mr. Salil Gupte, Chairman, AMCHAM and President, Boeing India, Ms. Ashmita Sethi, Chairperson – Aviation Committee, AMCHAM and President & Country Head Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies Corp India, Mr. Parag Sehgal, Director – Rotary and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin India and Mr. Amitabh Ghosal, Vice President of India Operations, L3Harris Technologies. Speakers shared the role that their companies have in partnering and collaborating in the Indian aviation sector to promote sustainability and also discussed the inherent roadblocks that policy makers and industry need to consider when making the push for sustainable aviation.

• Destination North East

Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM gave the welcome remarks. Mr. G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Culture, Government of India gave a pre-recorded keynote address. He encouraged the business community to invest in the North East and tap into its unexplored potential. He said that the government was playing a strategic role of an enabler by creating a conducive business environment in the region and invited business leaders to relocate their businesses to the North East Region and assured complete support from the central and state government. He said that India has entered the Amrit Kaal, and during this phase, the true potential of each and every corner of India will be unleashed. Mr. Lok Ranjan, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India gave an overview on the scope of mutual collaboration between U.S. industry and north eastern states. He also extended an invitation to visit the region to gain first-hand experience of various opportunities. State specific presentations and observations were made by Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur, Mr. Kumar Alok, Chief Secretary, Government of Tripura, Mr. Syedain Abbasi, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Assam and Mr. Meban R. Synrem, Commissioner and Secretary, IT and Communication, Government of Meghalaya. Ms. Melinda Pavek, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Kolkata shared her observations. It was followed by a multi sector industry panel discussion with speakers: Mr. Prakash Bodla, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Managing Director & VP – Engineering, Carrier Technologies, Dr. Amit Paithankar, Chairman i Energy Committee, AMCHAM, Vice President – Advance Design Center & Managing Director, South Asia, Emerson, Mr. Atanu Mukherjee, CEO & President, Dastur Energy Inc & MN Dastur Co (P) Ltd., Mr. Sangeet Jain, General Manager & Director, LanzaTech India, Mr. Vivek Abraham, Regional Director, External Strategy – India & South Asia, Salesforce, Mr. Mukul Varshney, Co-Chairman – Manufacturing Committee, AMCHAM and Director – Corporate Affairs, Media and Communications, India, Africa, SE Asia, Middle East, Asia Pacific, John Deere and Mr. Parag Sehgal, Director – Rotary and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin India. It was moderated by Mr. Arnab Basumallik, Director – Government Affairs, Edwards Lifesciences India. Mr. Sanjay Koul, Vice Chair, AMCHAM, Chairman and Managing Director, Timken India shared his views on the theme.

• Karnataka: Unlimited Opportunities

Ms. Payal Satish, Regional Director – Karnataka Chapter, AMCHAM opened the session and welcomed everyone. Mr. Sanjay Koul, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and Chairman & Managing Director Timken India made opening remarks and introduced spearkers. Ms. Judith Ravin, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Chennai, gave an overview of the U.S.-India relationship and highlighted the significant potential for collaboration and growth in sectors like space, clean energy and environment. This was followed by a recorded message from Dr. C.N. Ashwathnarayan, Minister of Information Technology – Biotechnology, Higher Education, Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, who spoke about the investment climate in Karnataka. Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industries, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka expounded on the updated investment policies in the state, mentioned special incentives and reiterated the support provided to companies in Karnataka. A panel of industry discussed doing business in Karnataka with respect to each of their sectors starting with Mr. Sanjay Koul, Mr. Ankur Malhotra, Co-Chairman – CSR Committee, AMCHAM and Head Corporate Affairs & CSR, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India, Ms. Swati Rangachari, Vice President and Country Leader – Public Affairs and Strategic Engagements – United Health Group, Optum and Mr. Parag (Par) Wadhawan, Managing Director, Collins Aerospace India. The discussion revolved around manufacturing, IT, innovation in healthcare and defense.

• Triumphant Telangana

Ms. Sandya Rodrigues, Regional Director – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM welcomed the dignitaries and spoke on how Telangana is a multi-cultural and pluralistic society, known for its hospitality. A presentation on Telangana was made by Ms. Shuchi Trivedi, Partner – Strategy & Transactions | Economic Advisory, Ernst & Young LLP which showcased how Telangana is progressing the ease of doing business and highlighted the need to improve trading and access to ports. She also mentioned that Telangana was an emerging hub for start-ups and Infrastructure. Mr. Joel Reifman, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad echoed how American companies have contributed not only in terms of revenue and employment but even during the pandemic came forward in support. Telangana being the bio and pharma hub with 40% of the world’s vaccine manufacturing. He stated that the new U.S. Consulate building in Telangana, with state-of-the-art facilities in the financial district, will grow to be the largest U.S. Consulate in India, illustrating the importance of Telangana. Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana, in his address, said that Telangana has far exceeded the people’s expectations. He spoke on the ease of doing business and gave examples of how businesses were satisfied and increased their investment in the state. He mentioned that U.S. industry is likely to be the largest investor in electronics manufacturing in the stat and emphasized that training manpower and lowering cost of business was a priority. This was followed by a panel discussion moderated Ms. Shuchi Trivedi with speakers Mr. Prakash Bodla, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Managing Director & Vice President – Engineering, Carrier Technologies, Mr. Murali Krishna, SVP & Country Head, Providence India, Mr. Kiran Dumbala, COO, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TMAL) and Ms. Sravanthi Lanka, Sr. Director Operations, S&P Global. The speakers discussed the availability of good talent, diversity and inclusion, benefits of doing business in Telangana, challenges in terms of scope for expansion, etc. The session closed with a vote of thanks by Mr. Prakash Bodla.