A meeting of AMCHAM’s Energy Committee was held on January 22nd at the U.S. Embassy and was chaired by Ms. Preetha Nair, Chairperson – Energy Committee, AMCHAM and Head Asia, True North Venture Partners, Mr. Robert Garverick, Honorary USG Chair – Energy Committee, AMCHAM and Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Ms. Dinah McDougall, Honorary USG Chair – Energy Cooperation Program, AMCHAM and Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy.

The committee deliberated on the agenda and preparation for the upcoming CHT roundtable on February 4th, advocacy for the development of static energy storage, the promotion of energy efficiency through engagement with USAID, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, cooling as a service, etc. It was felt that individual issues of members can be taken up through the fast track mechanism with DPIIT. Best practices in procurement and digital transformation were key areas of common interest to plan future activities.

On January 17th, AMCHAM’s Supply Chain & Logistics Committee organized a knowledge sharing session on ‘Maximizing RoI From Your IoT Investment – A Proven Approach’ via webex. The session began with opening remarks by Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM, who also shared an introduction to the session speaker, Mr. Veeresh Dharappanavar, Sr. Director Sales, Altizon Inc. Through his welcome address Mr. Kumar Kandaswami, Chairman – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP, set the tone for the session.

AMCHAM’s Eastern Region organized a meeting with U.S. Consul General Patti Hoffman in Jamshedpur at the Timken India facility on January 14th to understand investment opportunities in Jharkhand and the eastern region. The meeting was attended by AMCHAM member companies including: Deloitte, Houghton, HP, Hyatt, PwC, Quaker and Timken. Jharkhand’s economic environment with regards to steel, manufacturing, minerals, metals, IT and services industries were discussed. Members shared their plans and interactions with the Jharkhand government.

The new state government’s initiatives regarding ease of doing business in Jharkhand were deliberated. Consul General Patti Hoffman was keen to understand how the Consulate can help industries to hold bilateral dialogues and any concerns that needed to be flagged to the state government. Investment opportunities in West Bengal and the north eastern belt of India were discussed.

A meeting of the LGBTQ Chapter of AMCHAM’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee was held on January 14th, 2020 in Mumbai. The meeting commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM, followed by a welcome address by Mr. Sudhir Jain, Chapter Leader – LGBTQ Chapter, D&I Committee, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Chief Risk Officer, Bank of America N.A. As part of the agenda members actively ideated on the forthcoming initiatives and participation at events (Queer Azadi Pride March, Out & Equal India Forum).

AMCHAM India, in association with KPMG in India, organized a learning opportunity for MBA students from Montclair State University, in Gurgaon on January 13th 2020. Mr. Anuj Vadhera and Mr. Debjit Ghosh of KPMG in India teamed up to conduct an exhilarating session. Participating students had a wonderful opportunity to learn from the speakers’ insights and experience on the subject of ‘International Business and Strategy in India,’ as well as associated opportunities and challenges. Students participated in discussions and interacted with the speakers on a variety of questions which included challenges faced by U.S. investors in India.

On December 18, 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met their American counterparts – Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, respectively, for the second U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. On January 7th in New Delhi, Mr. Robert Garverick, Minister Counselor EEST, U.S. Embassy and RDML Eileen Laubacher, Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy, briefed AMCHAM members on the discussions and the current state of U.S.-India bilateral relations. Members found the session very useful.

Under defense cooperation, there was a commitment of the Ministers to expand military-to-military cooperation and improve the defense and security partnership in the coming year. The signing of another defense enabling agreement, Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to facilitate exchange of classified military information between Indian and U.S. defense industries was a high point and the agreement of an annual bi-lateral tri-service amphibious military exercise Tiger Triumph were the key features of the defense discussions. A Statement of Intent to co-develop several projects was also finalized under the Standard Operating Procedure for setting forth implementation guidelines for projects under DTTI and the Industry-to-Industry Framework, which will establish a standing mechanism for dialogue between Indian and U.S. defense companies and their governments on defense technology and industrial cooperation. Both countries have agreed to continue discussions on Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).

Amongst strategic cooperation, the discussions covered a free and transparent Indo Pacific region, digital connectivity on energy, civil space, potable water and water in agriculture, earth sciences and human space. Enhanced cooperation under the space dialogue and interest for involvement in an India-U.S. Oceans dialogue was also proposed and is under consideration currently. Under the cyber security dialogue in ICT industry covering 5G, mobile technologies, cert responses and cyber practices were discussed. There is possibility of bilateral agreements concerning the U.S Cloud Act as India expressed interest to be involved in that sphere. The next U.S. – India 2+2 dialogue was confirmed to be held in India in 2020.