Defense Committee Interactive Session with Ambassador Verma – 28th October 2016

On 28th October 2016, AmCham’s Defense Committee members met with Ambassador Richard Verma to discuss current defense issues faced by industry. Members provided recommendations that the Ambassador could share on behalf of industry during his G2G dialogues. AmCham also volunteered to provide a couple of white papers on the issues discussed during the interaction.

Defense Committee Meeting – 28th October 2016

AMCHAM’s Defense Committee members met to discuss the past activities of the committee. The members decided to nominate Michael Koch, Vice President, Boeing India as the new Co-Chairman of the committee for the position left vacant when Dennis Swanson moved to another role. Members were also informed of the upcoming U.S. government delegations planned. They were advised about the AMCHAM/USIBC joint events to be hosted during Aero India 2017. The members decided to convene again during the first week of November to discuss how the committee could align its agenda with that of the Government of India. It was also decided to continue with the regular monthly meetings to refresh the agenda and action items on a consistent basis.

Breakfast Interactive Session on “Ease of Doing Business in West Bengal” Chief Guest Dr. Krishna Gupta, IAS, Principal Secretary – 28th October 2016

On 28th October 2016, AmCham’s Eastern Region organized a breakfast interactive session on West Bengal: A State Where “Ease of Doing Business” is a Reality. The chief guest was Dr. Krishna Gupta, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industries, and Public Enterprise & Industrial Reconstruction Department, Government of West Bengal, who was accompanied by his commerce team comprising of Mr. Surendra Gupta, IAS, Managing Director WBIDC and Mr. Kaushik Basu, Executive Director WBIDC.

Dr. Gupta spoke about the improved governance and ease of doing business in the state, showcasing the state government’s commitment towards inclusive and sustainable development, providing increasing employment opportunities and building West Bengal into a manufacturing hub. He said West Bengal recorded a 12.02% real growth in terms of GVA in 2015-16 (A) and the industry sector of the state observed a growth rate of 10.59% in 2015-16 (A). He highlighted the state’s effort in ease of doing business and concerted effort to project West Bengal as the preferred investment destination through a plethora of industry friendly policies. He mentioned that new territories were being chartered with Bhor Sagar Deep Sea Port coming up at Sagar Island. The Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (ADKIC) promises to open up new vistas of investment opportunities. Energy sector projects (solar and CGD) and green cities/theme townships are attracting investor attention. With over 3.7 million enterprises, the state has a potential to become a leader in MSME development in the country. He said that armed with new opportunities, West Bengal is all to set to project its business-readiness to the global investor community. He also mentioned that the 2-day long Bengal Global Business Summit 2017, scheduled for January 19-20, would bring together policy makers, corporate leaders from around the globe, delegations, academia, and opinion makers to explore business opportunities, forge partnerships and collaborations.

The guest of honor was Mr. Craig Hall, U.S. Consul General. Mr. K.P. Sengupta, Chairman AmCham Eastern Region, did the welcome address, Mr. Amit Malik, AmCham Executive Committee member moderated the Q&A session and Mr. Debdas Sen, Vice Chairman AmCham ER, gave the vote of thanks.

Roundtable with Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan – 22nd October 2016

AmCham, in partnership with the Consulate General of the United States, Mumbai, and USIBC, organized a roundtable interaction with the Honb’le Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, 22nd October 2016. The roundtable was held on the occasion of ‘Invest Madhya Pradesh – Global Investors Summit,’ an initiative of the Government of Madhya Pradesh supported by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India. 

The meeting commenced with the US Consul General (Mumbai) Mr. Tom Vajda’s opening remarks. Through a brief address the Hon’ble Chief Minister welcomed all participants and invited suggestions and comments encouraging investment in the state. The CM was accompanied by Mr. Mohammed Suleman, Principal Secretary – Department of Commerce, Industry and Employment, GoMP.

The roundtable was represented by senior leaders of 10 U.S. companies which included P&G, John Deere, AES (India), APCO Worldwide, KPMG, KSS Abhishek Safety Systems, and United Technologies, among others. John Deere India, P&G and Cummins India shared their positive experience of investment and operations in Madhya Pradesh. The interaction between industry and the GoMP focused on the vision for Madhya Pradesh, the development of infrastructure, railways, warehousing and the development of smart cities in the state – thus making MP the central business hub of the country.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks on behalf of AmCham, the U.S. Consulate and USIBC.

Meeting with U.S. Department of Agriculture Acting Under Secretary/Deputy Under Secretary Ms. Alexis Taylor – 19th October 2016

AmCham’s Agriculture and Food Processing Committee members met with Acting Under Secretary/Deputy Under Secretary, Ms. Alexis Taylor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, on 19th October ahead of the Trade Policy Forum.

DUS Taylor was the third most senior level delegate from USDA to visit India within the last 11 months, having confirmed that the U.S. – India relationship in this sector is on a new pathway and headed in the right direction. DUS Taylor described the purpose of her visit and USDA’s overall objectives with India including leveraging the Trade Policy Forum for increased market access and empowering women in agriculture.

The members briefly explained their areas of business, why their company was in India and what was successful for them. They mentioned the challenges being faced, the need for path breaking technologies for increasing productivity and the slow growth of the food processing industry. Other challenges included the counterfeit chemicals and seeds that illustrated the need for stricter IP enforcement. The members requested USDA’s support for conveying to the GOI the need for sensitizing the government to IPR norms and holding up the sanctity of contracts. Support from USDA could help make a difference if this could be conveyed to the government during the G2G dialogues.

Eastern Region Executive Committee Meeting – 13th October 2016

AMCHAM’s Eastern Region Executive Committee meeting was held on 13th October. Mr. K.P. Sengupta, Chairman, updated members on the NEB meeting held in Hyderabad in September. Mr. Debdas Sen, Vice Chairman, updated members on the meeting held with the Principal Secretary, IT Mr. Talleen Kumar. Forthcoming events and the membership drive was also discussed.