AMCHAM’s Karnataka Chapter hosted an interaction with the U.S. Consulate General Chennai for the members of the Karnataka Chapter on March 31st. The session was a closed door virtual engagement on Webex where Visa Officers spoke to attendees about the latest updates from the Consular Section with regard to visa appointment availability, priorities of the Consular Section and efforts made to increase availability of visa slots, how to make expedited appointments for urgent travel and much more. The session was well attended with over 50 participants.

On March 25th, AMCHAM members, along with other key U.S. aviation industry members, had an interaction with Mr. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India and other key stakeholders from the Government of India including Mr. Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman, AAI and other key Joint Secretaries during the U.S.-India roundtable at WINGS 2022 at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad. From the U.S. government, Mr. Matt Ingeneri, Economic Growth Unit Chief – EEST, U.S. Embassy welcomed participants and Mr. Joel Reifman, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad gave special remarks. Mr. Chris Carter, Director – Asia Pacific, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Ms. Mehnaz Ansari, Sr. Regional Representative – South Asia, USTDA also shared remarks focussing on the U.S. industry contribution to India’s civil aviation sector while ensuring sustainability. Members shared their perspective on U.S. industry’s employment and plans for future investments. Challenges facing industry were discussed with technology solutions, cooperation and partnership with Indian industry. Skills development emphasizing women participation in aerospace and sustainability, in line with the Government of India’s vision, was highlighted.

AMCHAM organized an interactive session with Ms. Vani Rao, Additional Secretary (Americas), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India on March 24th. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM welcomed Ms. Rao and participants. Ms. Kaku Nakhate, Vice Chair, AMCHAM and President and Country Head (India), Bank of America, N.A., in her opening remarks, spoke about U.S.-India relations in the wake of the current geopolitical scenario. She also complimented the U.S.-India dialogues being the gamechanger in elevating the mutual relationship. Ms. Vani Rao, in her keynote address, appreciated AMCHAM’s role in strengthening U.S.-India economic ties and enumerated some of the recent high-level interactions which indicates the increased level of partnership. She also highlighted the point that there is now a mutual desire to expand engagements to global issues. Ms. Rao stated that the U.S. is the largest trading partner of India and gave a brief overview of bilateral trade. She also mentioned the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) convened between the United States and India after a gap of four years, which saw agreements on market access issues especially in agri produce products. The government was keenly looking forward to the upcoming U.S.-India CEO Forum and Commercial Dialogue. She briefed participants on the extensive defense collaboration initiatives between the two countries. Ms. Rao highlighted the importance of hydrocarbon trade. She spoke about the integral role of industry in the space of green partnership. Critical and emerging technologies was another important aspect in U.S.-India ties. The Indian government welcomed the Indo Pacific Strategy announced in February 2022. Ms. Rao concluded her address by saying that India and U.S. were natural partners and the relationship has been one of the defining multifaceted partnerships of the century. It was followed by Q&A where members asked a range of questions pertaining to the QUAD, geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, critical industries, healthcare products, etc. Mr. Sanjay Koul, Vice Chair, AMCHAM, and Chairman & Managing Director, Timken India Limited, summed up the session and presented the vote of thanks.

The American League of AMCHAM organized an interactive and engaging session on ‘U.S. Tax Filings – What You Need to Know’ on March 22nd. The session was virtually held on Webex and organized to help U.S. citizens residing in India to understand the nuances of tax filings and understand basic income tax provisions for Americans working in India with sources of income in, and outside of India. The session covered U.S. tax return updates for 2021, bringing non-filing expats into current IRS compliance, informative returns, foreign corporations, foreign mutual funds and expat specific issues.

Ambassador Donald L. Heflin, Minister Counselor Consular Affairs, U.S. Embassy gave opening remarks and Ms. Kelly Landry, American Citizens Services Chief, U.S. Embassy spoke to the audience about tax related Consulate services. The speakers from H&R Block included Mr. Mitilesh Gaglani, Associate Manager – Expat Tax, Mr. Amit Patil, Team Lead – Expat Tax, Mr. Aditya Boppudi, Sr. Reviewer – Expat Tax and Mr. Bhargava Repalli, Sr. Reviewer – Expat Tax. Ms. Payal Satish, Regional Director – Karnataka Chapter, AMCHAM introduced the speakers and moderated the session. The session was very well received with over 300 participants.

AMCHAM members had an interactive session with Mr. Jesse Salazar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Industrial Policy, U.S. Department of Defense on March 17th. DASD Salazar made remarks on the shared interest in promoting supply chain resilience and reliability. He re-emphasized the shared need for members to work while remaining aligned to the Indo-Pacific strategy. The discussion also highlighted the key role of semiconductors in building capabilities. Department of Defense’s ‘Securing Defense – Critical Supply Chains’ document was shared with members for their reading. Members talked about their alignment with local partners by integrating with Indian aerospace and defense suppliers, which as a result, have played a key role in the ecosystem and led to supporting millions of jobs both in the U.S. and India. Quarterly meetings with DASD Salazar for members to share concerns and seek guidance was proposed.