On July 25^th, AMCHAM organized an exclusive briefing by AMCHAM’s Honorary National Executive Board Members from the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Drew Schufletowski, Minister Counselor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology and Mr. Jonathan Heimer, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs in New Delhi. Mr. Schufletowski briefed members on the recently concluded state visit of Prime Minister Modi, briefly mentioned the roundtables held during NSA Jake Sullivan’s visit to New Delhi in early June and updated members on innovation, technology, innovation handshake, the upcoming APEC CEO Summit, to be held in November 2023 in San Francisco. A joint assessment of the semiconductor sector was being planned in September, and a report on India Electronic and Semiconductor Association (IESA) and Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) was being conducted by APCO Worldwide. Members shared concerns that perhaps G20 has overshadowed the Quad and its deliverables. Mr. Schufletowski mentioned that no new working groups were being formed as a result of the high level engagements and dialogues. The next dialogue on initiative on critical and emerging technology (iCET) was expected to be scheduled in December 2023 or early January 2024. During the same time the next Trade Policy Forum (TPF) was also expected to be scheduled. Mr. Jonathan Heimer joined the team virtually and shared updates on the high-level visit from Ms. Marisa Lago, Under Secretary for International Trade, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce a few months back which was now being followed up by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia, Ms. Pamela Phan’s visit to New Delhi and Gandhinagar for the SEMICON focussed on the skilling roundtable. Some members were keen to discuss an update on the PPO which was majorly affecting healthcare while a few other sectors are also affected. Upcoming visits by USTR Ambassador Tai for the Trade Investment Ministerial on August 23/24 was discussed, and a pre groundwork visit by Mr. Brendan Lynch, Deputy USTR was also discussed. A prospective interaction with them during the visit could be proposed. A submission of a whitepaper on the PPO was discussed before the next Fast Track Mechanism meeting tentatively scheduled for August 20^th, 2023.

On July 21^st, select AMCHAM Defense Committee members met with Mr. Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Ms. Udaya Arun, Director, AMCHAM thanked the Joint Secretary and gave a backgrounder about AMCHAM and it’s activities. Mr. Alain Garcia, Chairman – Defense Committee AMCHAM and Vice President, Global Business Development – India, Boeing Defense Space & Security mentioned the opportunity AMCHAM members had early last month to share the India scenario with officials in U.S. at the door knock. The Joint Secretary gave a brief overview of the deliverables from the recently concluded high level dialogues between representatives from both governments. He shared an update that a private industry sharable document was being worked on, ‘Roadmap for U.S. – India Defense Industrial Cooperation,’ which would highlight new and emerging technologies, ISTAR and update to IndusX. This roadmap would serve as a catalyst for the defense ecosystem. Discussions took place over licensing issues and members raised that ISTAR regulations needed to be eased out, and that Defense Industry Collaboration Forum (DICF) could be leveraged. Need for discussions with Indian industry bodies to understand planning on the groundwork since now co-development, rather than co-manufacturing, was the need of the hour. He proposed the need for AMCHAM to work more closely with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) to meet these objectives. He also shared that while the Security of Supply Arrangements (SOSA) was underway, the Indian Ministry of Defence was working out a similar code of conduct like the U.S. code of conduct. Mr. Samit Ray, Co-Chairman – Defense Committee, AMCHAM and Regional Director Government Affairs & Public Policy, Raytheon Technologies Corporation  asked a query regarding the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDP) and the Joint Secretary mentioned that discussions with Indian industry bodies were underway. Ms. Ashmita Sethi, Chairperson – Aviation Committee, AMCHAM and President & Country Head, Pratt & Whitney suggested AMCHAM could share feedback on taxation issues of MRO and SCOMET licenses. Mr. William L. Blair, Co-Chairman – Defense Committee, AMCHAM and Vice President and Regional Executive Asia & India Lockheed Martin, asked about the U.S. Department of Defense linkages under iCET and the scope of the same like quantum, AI, space, cyber security, etc. Mr. Vivek Virmani, Planning Officer, DDP and COO, Defence Infrastructure Organization, who was also present in the discussions, was keenly interested in a proposal to discuss ways of collaboration with AMCHAM. He shared that the U.S. Department of Defense had connected them with Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). A mentor – prodigy style of connect for members and startups was suggested.  A follow-up meeting with him separately to discuss the same was planned. The meeting concluded with a commitment of having regular engagements between JS (IC) office and the AMCHAM’s Defense Committee.

On July 21^st, AMCHAM’s GCC Committee convened virtually on Microsoft Teams to deliberate and assess the committee’s viability, as well as gauge the enthusiasm and commitment of members towards making a positive impact and assisting new GCCs entering India. Members engaged in brainstorming sessions aimed at exploring various possibilities. The primary objective identified was to foster greater involvement among the GCC community by organizing programs designed to stimulate innovative thinking on specific topics. By collaborating and pooling collective expertise, the committee decided to craft a comprehensive knowledge paper that showcases tangible contributions of GCCs. The ultimate goal would be to present the document to the government, providing solid evidence of the valuable role played by GCCs in the country. The proposed initiatives seek to reignite passion and dedication within the GCC community, encouraging active participation in endeavors that align with shared values. By undertaking these efforts, the committee hopes to strengthen the GCC network’s presence and influence in India, fostering an environment where new GCCs can flourish and benefit from the collective wisdom and experience of established members. The committee reconfirmed a commitment to shape a brighter future for the GCC landscape and reinforce the importance of GCC contributions to the nation’s growth and development.

AMCHAM’s Eastern Region organized a breakfast session on ‘Reimagining the Future of Work: Embrace the Post-Pandemic Transformation’ on July 21^st in Kolkata. The speakers were Mr. Atanu Mukherjee, Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Chief Executive Officer, M.N. Dastur & Co. (P) Ltd., Mr. Joydeep Datta Gupta, Vice Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP, Mr. Sabyasachi Biswas, Partner – Global Automation, IBM Ltd., Mr. Bikram Kumar Das, State Engagement Officer, National Skill Development Corporation and Mr. Surajit Banerjee, Managing Director, Fi-Tek Pvt Ltd. The panel had an in-depth discussion on the evolving work landscape, challenges of collaboration in a hybrid structure, productivity impact and the critical roles of employee maturity and leadership in a hybrid work culture. The discussion touched upon AI and the apprehension that AI is going to replace human resources. IBM shared its best practices and how they overcame challenges during and post the pandemic, the measures IBM took for employee well-being. Mr. Biswas spoke about the necessity of having a strong foundation and culture ideally human-centric and adaptive to change. Accessibility of the global talent pool has been considered one of the major benefits of a hybrid work culture by almost all speakers. 

Mr. Bikram Kumar Das spoke about various government intervention which facilitates honing the skills of youth. He asked industry representatives to share information on the present skill requirement so that the government can plan its interventions accordingly. He also sought support from industry to enhance skill application through participation in various government schemes like National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). The session concluded with the acknowledgement that there would be continual rapid technological advancement which will automate and obliviate. It would probably be augmented rather than replaced because technology sometimes has a hard time with unpredictability, hence the human value add would be of a higher order going forward than what was in the past as technology replaces repetitive matters. The panel suggested that the world has become much more flexible and much more conscious of the need to take care of people. The session was sponsored by Hyland Software Solutions India LLP.

AMCHAM met with Ms. Priya Prasad, Attorney-Advisor, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), U.S. Department of Commerce on July 19^th in New Delhi along with Ms. Debra Martin, Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Ms. Ritu Arora, Senior Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy and Ms. Anisha Shashidharan, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM India and Mr. Tirthankar Goyal, Director, AMCHAM joined the introductory meeting on carbon capture utilization and storage and explored areas of potential collaboration.

AMCHAM held its first meeting of the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Working Group under the leadership of Mr. Anil Bhatia, Chairman – Energy Committee, AMCHAM and Vice President &Managing Director, Emerson India at the Emerson office in Noida on July 18th. The discussion was very fruitful keeping in mind various opportunities in energy transition. As India has updated its NDC targets for achieving 50% of its total installed capacity from non-fossil-based energy sources, 45% reduction in emission intensity by 2030 and taking steps towards achieving net zero by 2070, the role of carbon capture, utilization, and storage has become important as reduction.